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MEMOIRS 

OF 

SIR  THOMAS  FOWELL  BUXTON, 

BART. 

EDITED  BY  HIS  SON, 

CHARLES  BUXTON,  ESQ.,  B.A. 


"  The  longer  I  live,  the  more  I  am  certain  that  the  great  difference  between  men, 
between  the  feeble  and  the  powerful,  the  great  and  the  insignificant,  is  energy — 
invincible  determination — a  purpose  once  fixed,  and  then  death  or  victory.  That 
quality  will  do  anything  that  can  be  done  in  this  world ;  and  no  talents,  no  circum- 
stances, no  opportunities,  will  make  a  two-legged  creature  a  man  without  it." 

Extract  of  a  Letter  from  Sir  T.  Powell  Buxton. 


THIRD    EDITION. 


LONDON: 
JOHN   MURRAY,    ALBEMARLE    STREET. 

1849. 


London  :  Printed  by  WIM.IAM  CLOWES  and  SONS,  Stanifuid  Stn-«-t. 


TO 

MISS  BUXTON, 

IN  CONJUNCTION  WITH  WHOM  THIS  WOEK  WAS  COMPILED, 

THE 

THIRD  EDITION  OF  IT  IS  INSCRIBED 


"  Who  is  the  honest  man  ? 
He  who  doth  still,  and  strongly,  good  pursue ; 
To  GOD,  his  neighbour,  and  himself  most  true." 

HCRBEBT. 


PREFACE. 


A  GENERAL  and  very  reasonable  objection  is  made  against 
memoirs  written  by  near  relatives,  and  yet  the  danger  to  be 
apprehended  from  their  partiality  is  not  perhaps  quite  so  great 
as  it  might  seem.  At  any  rate  it  is  not  wholly  avoided  by 
transferring  the  task  to  a  stranger.  It  has  been  well  observed, 
that  "  biographers,  translators,  editors  —  all,  in  short,  who 
employ  themselves  in  illustrating  the  lives  or  the  writings  of 
others — are  peculiarly  exposed  to  the  '  lues  BoswellianaJ  or 
disease  of  admiration."  *  Now  a  near  relative  may  be  espe- 
cially liable  to  this  infirmity ;  but  then  he  is  especially  on  his 
guard  against  it.  He  cannot  eulogise :  he  must  state  facts,  and 
leave  the  reader  to  draw  conclusions  for  himself. 

The  task  of  compiling  my  father's  memoirs  was  placed  in  my 
hands  by  his  executors,  partly  because  those  whose  literary 
abilities  would  have  pointed  them  out  as  fitted  for  the  task  were 
not  at  leisure  to  undertake  it ;  and  partly  because  it  involved 
the  perusal  of  a  large  mass  of  private  papers,  which  could  not 
well  have  been  submitted  to  the  inspection  of  any  one  not  a 
member  of  his  family.  I  could  hardly  refuse  so  interesting, 
though  responsible,  a  duty. 

A  considerable  portion  of  this  work  relates  to  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  slaves  in  the  West  Indies;  and  I  cannot  help 
feeling  some  anxiety  lest  it  may  give  a  false  prominence  to  my 
father's  exertions  in  the  accomplishment  of  that  event,  which 
was,  in  fact,  achieved  by  the  strenuous  efforts  of  many  men, 

*  Macaulay's  Essa)-s,  vol.  ii.  p.  146. 


PEEFACE. 


working  in  very  different  spheres.  It  was  not  for  me  to  attempt 
to  write  the  history  of  that  extensive  movement.  The  object 
set  before  me  was  to  show,  as  plainly  as  possible,  what  sort  of 
person  my  father  was,  so  that  the  reader  should  feel  as  if  he  had 
been  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends.  I  was  bound,  therefore, 
to  confine  my  narrative  to  his  individual  proceedings,  excluding 
whatever  did  not  bear,  directly  or  indirectly,  on  the  elucidation 
of  his  character.  Hence  it  has  resulted  that  very  slight  notice 
is  taken  in  these  pages  of  the  exertions  of  my  father's  coadjutors 
in  achieving  the  downfal  of  British  slavery. 

It  ought,  perhaps,  to  be  noticed,  that  the  expressions  of 
affection  towards  those  (and  especially  one)  most  dear  to  my 
father,  with  which  his  letters  and  papers  abound,  have  been 
generally  omitted. 

I  beg  most  gratefully  to  acknowledge  the  valuable  contri- 
butions I  have  received  from  several  of  my  father's  friends,  the 
advice  and  assistance  given  by  others,  and  the  documents  and 
papers  put  into  my  hands  by  those  who  enjoyed  intimate  com- 
munication with  him,  before  I  was  of  an  age  to  share  in  that 
privilege. 

Since  the  first  edition  of  this  work  was  published,  many 
anecdotes  and  letters  have  been  communicated  to  me,  which  will 
be  found,  I  think,  to  add  considerably  to  the  interest  of  the 
narrative. 

London,  1848. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

1786—1802. 

Notices  of  the  Buxton  family  —  Mr. 
Buxton  of  Earl's  Colne  —  Birth  of 
Thomas  Fowell  Buxton  —  Child- 
hood— School-days  —  His  Mother's 
influence  —  Abraham  Plastow  • — 
Bellfield  — Earlham  —  Letters  from 
Earlham Page  1 


CHAPTER  II. 

1802—1807. 

Education  in  Ireland  —  Donnybrook 
—  Emmett's  Rebellion  —  Dublin 
University  —  Correspondence  — 
Engagement  to  Miss  H.  Gurney  — 
Historical  Society  —  Escape  from 
Shipwreck  —  Correspondence  — 
Success  at  College  —  Invitation  to 
represent  the  University  in  Par- 
liament —  His  Marriage  .  .  11 


CHAPTER  III. 

1807—1812. 

Enters  Truman's  Brewery  —  Occu- 
pations in  London  —  Letter  from 
Mr.  Twiss  —  Correspondence  — 
Death  of  Edward  Buxton  —  Ex- 
ertions in  the  Brewery  .  .  23 


CHAPTER  IV. 

1812—1816. 

First  speech  in  public  —  The  Rev. 
Josiah  Pratt  —  Increasing  regard 
to  religion  —  Dangerous  illness  — 
Its  effect  on  his  mind  —  Removes 
to  Hampstead  —  Disappointments 
and  anxieties — Reflections  —  Nar- 
row escape  —  Letter  to  Mr.  J.  J. 
Gurney Page  34 


CHAPTER  V. 

1816,  1817. 

Adventure  with  a  mad  dog  —  Dis- 
tress in  Spitalfields  —  Mr.  Buxton's 
speech —  Letters — Establishment 
of  Prison  Discipline  Society  — 
Death  of  Charles  Buxton  —  Jour- 
ney on  the  Continent  —  Letters  — 
Incident  at  the  Brewery  —  Book 
on  Prison  Discipline  ...  47 

CHAPTER  VI. 
1818,  1819. 

Election,  1818  —  Letter  from  Mr.  J. 
J.  Gurney  —  Thoughts  on  entering 
Parliament  —  First  speech  on  Cri- 
minal Law  —  Committees  on  Cri- 
minal Law  and  Prison  Discipline 
—  Letters  — Debate  on  the  Man- 
chester Riot 66 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

1820,  1821. 

Election  —  Domestic  afflictions  — 
Letters  —  Cromer  Hall  —  Priscilla 
Gurney— Correspondence— Speech 
on  Criminal  Law  .  .  Page  82 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SLAVERY.       1821—1823. 

Mr.  Buxton  is  chosen  by  Mr.  Wilber- 
force  as  his  Parliamentary  suc- 
cessor —  Common  confusion  of 
"Slavery"  with  "Slave  Trade" 

—  Previous    impressions    on    Mr. 
Buxton's    mind  —  Priscilla    Gur- 
ney's  dying  words  —  He   studies 
the  subject  —  Long  deliberations 

—  Fear  of  servile  revolt  —  Under- 
takes to  advocate  the  question  — 
Letters  from  Mr.  Wilberforce  — 
Reflections  —  Suttee  —  The  Qua- 
kers'   petition  —  Letter    to    Earl 
Bathurst  —  The  first    debate    on 
Slavery  —  Mr.  Canning's  amend- 
ments —   Ameliorations    in    the 
Slave's  condition  recommended  to 
the  Colonists  —  Letter  to  Sir  James 
Mackintosh 103 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SLAVERY.     1823—1826. 

Excitement  in  the  West  Indies  — 
The  negroes  refuse  to  work  — 
Severe  measures  —  Death  of  the 
Missionary  Smith — The  Abolition- 
ists bitterly  reproached  —  Mr. 
Buxton's  plan  —  Interviews  with 
Mr.  Canning  —  Popular  clamours 

—  The  Government  draws  back  — 
Anxieties    and    doubts  —  Letter 
from    Mr.   J.   J.  Gurney  —  The 
Debate  —  The  Government  gives 
way  —  Mr.  Buxton  attacks  them 

—  Encouragements  from  Mr.  Wil- 
berforce —  Mr.  Brougham's  Speech 
on  Smith's  case  —  Its  effect  on  the 
country  —  Mr.  Wilberforce  retires 

—  The  small  number  of  Abolition- 


ists in  Parliament  —  Dr.  Lushing- 
ton — Mr.  Macaulay — Mr.  Buxton's 
policy  —  Free  people  of  colour  — 
Treatment  of  Mr.  Shrewsbury  — 
Debate  —  Deliberations  —  The 
London  petition  —  Mr.  Denman's 
motion — A  year's  pause  Page  120 


CHAPTER  X. 

1822—1826. 

Cromer  Hall  —  Shooting  —  A  cour- 
teous poacher  —  The  sporting  pro- 
fessor —  Mr.  Buxton's  delight  in 
horses  —  His  influence  over  the 
young  —  Maxims  —  Letter  to  a 
nephew  —  His  love  of  a  manly 
character  —  His  gentleness — Ship- 
wreck at  Cromer  —  Perilous  ex- 
ploit —  His  religious  influence  — 
Kindness  to  the  poor  —  Letter  on 
style — Correspondence  —  Martin's 
Act  —  Correspondence  —  Letter  to 
a  clergyman  on  his  new  house 
138 


CHAPTER  XI. 

1826,  1827. 

The  Mauritius  Slave  Trade  —  Mr. 
Byam  and  General  Hall  —  Mr. 
Buxton  studies  and  undertakes  the 
question  —  Touching  incident  — 
Debate  —  Committee  of  Inquiry  — 
Stormy  election  at  Weymouth  — 
Letters  —  Laborious  investigations 
—  Frightful  attack  of  illness  — 
Unexpected  recovery  .  .  156 


CHAPTER  XII. 
1827,  1828. 

Meditations  —  Rev.  C.  Simeon  — 
Letter  to  Lord  W.  Bontinck  • — 
Suttee  abolished  —  Mr.  Buxton 
removes  to  Northrepps — Debate 
on  Slavery  —  Mr.  Buxton's  reply 
—  The  free  people  of  colour  — 
Interview  with  Mr.  Huskisson — 
Thoughts  on  his  illness  .  .  105 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
1828,  1829. 

The  Hottentots  -  Dr.  Philip  — Van 
Riobc-ch's  regrets  —  Miseries  of 
the  Hottentots  —  Dr.  Philip's  re- 
searches —  Mr.  Buxton's  motion  — 
The  Government  acquiesces — Let- 
ter from  Dr.  Philip — The  Order  in 
Council  sent  out — Letter  to  Mr.  J. 
J.  Gurney  —  The  Hottentots  set 
free  — •  Alarms  die  away  —  Happy 
result  —  The  Kat  Kiver  settle- 
ment   Page  175 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
1829. 

Catholic  Emancipation  —  Reflections 
—  The  Mauritius  slave  trade  — 
Agreeable  news  —  The  Mauritius 
case  revived — Letter  to  Mr.  Twiss 
— The  Government  admit  the  ex- 
istence of  the  slave  trade  —  Its 
complete  extinction  —  Mr.  George 
Stephen — Mr.  Jeremie  .  .  184 


CHAPTER  XV. 

1829,  1830. 

Letters— Papers — Mitigation  of  the 
Penal  Code — Illness  and  death  of 
his  second  son 194 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

SLAVERY.      1830. 

The  public  begins  to  arouse  itself— 
Increasing  popularity  of  the  subject 
—  Gradual  change  in  the  views  of 
the  leaders— Mitigating  measures 
despaired  of  —  Determination  to 
put  down  slavery  thoroughly  and 
at  once — Spirited  meetings  in  Lon- 
don and  Edinburgh — The  Govern- 
ment outstripped  by  the  Aboli- 
tionists —  Mr.  Buxton's  appeal  to 
the  electors  —  The  cruelty  of  sla- 
very in  its  mildest  form  .  .  208 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

SLAVERY.       1831. 

Religious  meditations  —  The  Duke's 
declaration — Change  of  Ministry — 
The  Whig  Government  does  not 


take  up  the  subject  of  slavery — 
Quakers'  petition — Decrease  of  the 
slave  population  —  Debate  —  The 
Government  still  tries  to  lead  the 
Colonists  to  adopt  mitigating  mea- 
sures— Parliament  dissolved — Let- 
ter from  Bellfield— Letter  to  a  son 
at  college — Dinner  at  the  Brewery 
— Anecdotes  —Reflections  — Death 
of  Mr.  North — Correspondence 

Page  216 


CHAPTER  XVIH. 

8LAVEEY.       1832. 

Insurrection  in  Jamaica  —  Lords' 
Committee  —  Letters  to  Lord  Suf- 
field  —  Speech  at  public  meeting — 
Position  of  parties  —  State  of  the 
Colonies  • —  Policy  of  the  Govern- 
ment—Debate, May  24 — Mr.  Bux- 
ton  insists  on  dividing  the  House 

—  Formation  of  the  Committee  — 
Religious  persecutions  in  Jamaica 

—  Result    of    the    Committee  — 
Letters 236 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
1833. 

Opening  of  the  session— Government 
undertakes  the  slavery  question — 
Increase  of  public  feeling — Anxiety 
as  to  the  intentions  of  Govern- 
ment —  Negotiations  —  Day  fixed 
for  the  motion  —  Disappointment 
— Agitation  resolved  on  —  White- 
ly's  pamphlet  —  Compensation  — 
Anti-slavery  meeting — The  nation 
aroused  —  Delegates  summoned  — 
Meeting  of  delegates  .  .  .  254 


CHAPTER  XX. 

SLAVERY.      1833. 

Debate,  May  14  —  Mr.  Stanley's 
speech  • —  Resolutions  passed  — 
Blame  attributed  to  Mr.  Buxton — 
Letters — Bill  brought  in — Debate 
on  apprenticeship :  On  compensa- 
tion— Progress  of  the  bill  through 
the  House  of  Commons :  Through 
the  House  of  Lords — Passed  — 

Letters 268 

b 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

1833,  1834. 

Letters  —  Good  accounts  from  the 
West  Indies  —  Baron  Rothschild — 
Occupations  of  the  spring  and 
summer  —  Endeavours  for  the  be- 
nefit of  the  negroes  —  Rev.  J.  M. 
Trew  —  The  day  of  freedom, 
August  1,  1834  — Conduct  of  the 
negroes  —  Letters  .  .  Page  284 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
1834,  1835. 

Inquiry  into  the  treatment  of  abori- 
ginal tribes  in  British  colonies  — 
Address  to  the  King  on  the  subject 
— Caffre  war  • —  Aborigines'  Com- 
mittee—  Letters  —  Lord  Glenelg's 
despatch — Visit  from  a  Caffre  chief 
— Mr.  Biixton  turns  to  the  subject 
of  the  slave-trade  of  foreign  na- 
tions —  An  address  to  the  King 
agreed  to 301 


CHAPTER  XXIH. 
1835,  1836. 

Accounts  from  the  West  Indies  — 
Motion  for  Committee  of  Inquiry 
— Correspondence  —  Writings,  Ja- 
nuary, 1836 — Committee  on  Ap- 
prenticeship, March,  1836 — Letters 
— Letter  from  Mr.  Johnston — Irish 
Church  questions — Speech  on  Irish 
Tithe  Bill,  June,  1836  .  .  316 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

1836. 

Scotland  —  Capercailzie  —  Letters  — 
Habits  of  life  at  Northrepps  — 
Order  —  Love  of  poetry  —  His  do- 
mestic character  —  Letters  .  332 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

1837,  1838. 

Aborigines'  report — Correspondence 
—Election— Defeat  at  Weymouth 


— Letters— Efforts  to  shorten  the 
apprenticeship  of  the  negroes  — 
Mr.  Buxton's  hesitation  —  The  ap- 
prenticeship abolished  .  Page  349 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

1838. 

New  plan  for  the  suppression  of  the 
slave-trade  —  Laborious  investiga- 
tions —  Collection  of  evidence  — 
Letter  to  Lord  Melbourne — Com- 
munications with  the  Government 
— Abstract  of  his  views — Horrors 
of  the  trade  —  Capabilities  of 
Africa 363 


CHAPTER  XXVH. 

1838,  1839. 

Communications  with  Government, 
and  with  private  individuals  — 
African  Civilisation  Society —  Pre- 
paration of '  The  Slave  Trade,  and 
its  Remedy,'  for  publication  — 
Departure  for  Italy  .  .  .  373 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
1839,  1840. 

Journey  through  France  and  Italy  — 
Mont  Cenis  in  a  snow-storm  — 
Rome  —  Italian  field  sports  — Boar- 
hunting  —  Shooting  on  the  Nu- 
mician  Lake  —  Adventure  with 
robbers  —The  Jesuits  —  St.  Peter's 
and  the  Vatican  —  Prisons  and 
hospitals  of  Rome  ....  385 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

1840. 

Mr.  Richards'  recollections  —  Prisons 
at  Civita  Vecchia  —  Italian  ban- 
ditti —  Gasparoni  —  Illness  —  Na- 
ples —  Pompeii  —  Prospect  of  a 
war  between  Naples  and  England 
—  Excitement  at  Naples  —  Mr. 
Buxton  returns  to  England  .  408 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

1840,  1841. 

Great  public  meeting  in  Exeter  Hall 

—  Prince  Albert   in   the  chair  — 
Mr.  Buxton  created  a  Baronet  — 
Preparations  for  the  Niger  Expe- 
dition —  Agricultural  Association 

—  Ventilation  of  the  ships  —  Sir 
Fowell  Buxton's  health  begins  to 
fail  —  "The  Friend  of  Africa"  — 
Public  meetings  • —  Letter  to  the 
Rev.  J.  W.  Cunningham  —  Day  of 
prayer  for  the  Expedition  — Prince 
Albert'8  visit  to  the  vessels  —  The 
Expedition  sails  —  Letter  to  Cap- 
tain Trotter  ....    Page  432 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

1841. 

Correspondence  —  Journey  to  Scot- 
land —  Deer-stalking  —  Return 
home  —  Good  news  from  the  Niger 
Expedition  —  Account  of  its  pro- 
gress —  Scenery  of  the  Niger  — 
Treaty  concluded  with  Obi  —  His 
intelligence  and  courage  —  The 
Attah  of  Eggarah  —  Sickness  ap- 
pears on  board  —  The  Model  Farm 
—  The  Soudan  and  AVilberforce 
sent  down  the  river  —  The  news 
reaches  England  —  Distress  of 
Sir  Fowell  Buxton  —  The  Albert 
proceeds  up  the  river  —  Dense 
population  —  Agricultural  produce 
in  the  markets  —  Some  slaves  libe- 
rated —  The  Nufls  —  Increased 
sickness  on  board  the  Albert  — 
It  returns  to  the  Sea  —  Perilous 
descent  of  the  river  —  Mortality 


on  board  —  Death  of  Captain  Bird 
Allen  —  Opinions  of  the  Commis- 
sioners as   to  the   Expedition  . 
Pago  446 

CHAPTER  XXXH. 

1842,  1843. 

Declining  health  —  Efforts  and  views 
regarding  Africa  —  The  Model 
Farm  brokep  up  —  Letter  from 
the  Bishop  of  Calcutta  —  Country 
pursuits  —  Planting  —  Character- 
istic anecdotes  ....  465 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

1843,  1844. 

Bath  —  Summer  at  Northrepps  — 
Continued  and  increasing  illness — 
Correspondence  with  Sir  Robert 
Peel  and  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta  481 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

1844,  1845. 

Summer  at  Northrepps  —  Anxiety 
respecting  Sierra  Leone  —  Mr. 
Freeman  —  Religious  feelings  — 
Marriage  of  his  son  —  Increasing 
illness  —  His  death  and  interment 
492 


Testimonial  to  his  memory 


500 


Letter  from  the   Rev.  J.  W.  Cun- 
ningham      501 

Appendix  to  Chapter  XVII.       .   507 


LIFE 

OF 

SIR  THOMAS  FOWELL  BUX1OT, 

BART. 


CHAPTER  I. 

1786—1802. 

Notices  of  the  Buxton  Family  —  Mr.  Buxton  of  Earl's  Colne  —  Birth  of 
Thomas  Fowell  Buxton  —  Childhood  —  School  Days  —  His  Mother's 
Influence  —  Abraham  Plastow  —  Bellfield  —  Earlham  —  Letters  from 
Earlham. 

THE  family  from  which  Sir  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton  was  de- 
scended, resided,  about  the  middle  of  the  16th  century,  at  Sud- 
hury  in  Suffolk,  and  subsequently  at  Coggeshall  in  Essex.  At 
the  latter  place,  W  illiam  Buxton,  his  lineal  ancestor,  died  in 
1624.  Thomas,  the  son  of  William  Buxton,  claimed  and  re- 
ceived from  the  Heralds'  College,  in  1634,  the  arms  borne  by 
the  family  of  the  same  name  settled  before  1478  at  Tybenham 
in  Norfolk,  and  now  represented  by  Sir  Robert  Jacob  Buxton, 
Bart. 

Isaac  Buxton,  a  merchant,  and  the  fifth  in  direct  descent  from 
William,  married  Sarah  Fowell,  an  heiress,  connected  with  the 
family  of  the  Fowells,  of  Fowelscombe  in  Devonshire.*  From 
her  was  derived  the  name  of  Fowell,  first  borne  by  her  eldest 
son,  who  married  Anna,  daughter  of  Osgood  Hanbury,  Esq.,  of 
Hoi  field  Grange  in  Essex.  The  first  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton 
lived  at  Earl's  Colne  in  the  same  county,  but  was  residing  at 

*  See  Burke's  Extinct  Baronetage. 


2  BIRTH  OF  MR.  THOMAS  POWELL  BUXTON.     [CIIAP.  i. 

Castle  Hedingham  when  his  eldest  son,  Thomas  Fowell,  the 
subject  of  this  memoir,  was  born,  on  the  1st  of  April,  1786. 

Mr.  Buxton  was  a  man  of  a  gentle  and  kindly  disposition, 
devoted  to  field  sports,  and  highly  popular  in  his  neighbourhood, 
where  he  exercised  hospitality  on  a  liberal  scale.  Having  been 
appointed  High  Sheriff' of  the  county,  he  availed  himself  of  the 
authority  of  his  office  to  relieve  the  miseries  of  the  prisoners  under 
his  superintendence,  visiting  them  sedulously,  notwithstanding  the 
prevalence  of  the  jail  fever.  He  died  at  Earl's  Colne  in  1792, 
leaving  his  widow  with  three  sons  and  two  daughters.* 

The  eldest  boy,  Thomas  Fowell,  was  at  this  time  six  years 
old.  Pie  was  a  vigorous  child,  and  early  showed  a  bold  and 
determined  character.  As  an  instance  of  this  it  may  be  men- 
tioned, that  when  quite  a  child,  while  walking  with  his  uncle, 
Mr.  Hanbury,  he  was  desired  to  give  a  message  to  a  pig-driver 
who  had  passed  along  the  road.  He  set  off  in  pursuit ;  and 
although  one  of  his  shoes  was  soon  lost  in  the  mud,  he  pushed 
on  through  lonely  and  intricate  lanes,  tracking  the  driver  by  the 
footmarks  of  his  pig's,  for  nearly  three  miles,  into  the  town  of 
Coggeshall ;  nor  did  he  stop  until  he  had  overtaken  the  man,  and 
delivered  his  message. 

One  who  knew  the  boy  well  in  his  early  days  said  of  him, 
"  He  never  was  a  child  ;  he  was  a  man  when  in  petticoats."  At 
the  age  of  only  four  years  and  a  half,  he  was  sent  to  a  school 
at  Kingston,  where  he  suffered  severely  from  ill-treatment ;  and 
his  health  giving  way  (chiefly  from  the  want  of  sufficient  food) 
he  was  removed,  shortly  after  his  father's  death,  to  the  school 
of  Dr.  Charles  Burney,  at  Greenwich,  where  his  brothers  after- 
wards joined  him.  Here  he  had  none  of  the  hardships  to  endure 
to  which  he  had  been  subjected  at  Kingston,  and  he  found  in 
Dr.  Burney  a  kind  and  judicious  master.  Upon  one  occasion 
he  was  accused  by  an  usher  of  talking  during  school-time,  and 

*  Anna,  afterwards  married  to  William  Forster,  Esq.,  of  Bradpole  in 
Dorsetshire. 

Thomas  Fowell. 

Charles,  married  Martha,  daughter  of  Edmund  Henning,  Es<i ,  and  died 
in  1817. 

Sarah  Maria,  died  in  1839. 

Edward  North,  died  in  1811. 


178G— 1802.]      HIS  CHILDHOOD— SCHOOL  DAYS.  3 

desired  to  learn  the  collect,  epistle,  and  gospel,  as  a  punishment. 
When  Dr.  Burney  entered  the  school,  young  Buxton  appealed 
to  him,  stoutly  denying  the  charge.  The  usher  as  strongly 
asserted  it ;  but  Dr.  Burney  stopped  him,  saying,  "  I  never 
found  the  boy  tell  a  lie,  and  will  not  disbelieve  him  now." 

He  does  not  appear  to  have  made  much  progress  in  his  studies, 
and  his  holidays  spent  at  Earl's  Colne,  where  his  mother  con- 
tinued to  reside,  left  a  deeper  trace  in  his  after  life  than  the 
time  spent  at  school.  Mrs.  Buxton's  character  has  been  thus 
briefly  described  by  her  son  :  "  My  mother,"  he  says,  "  was  a 
woman  of  a  very  vigorous  mind,  and  possessing  many  of  the 
generous  virtues  in  a  very  high  degree.  She  was  large-minded 
about  everything  ;  disinterested  almost  to  an'  excess  ;  careless  of 
difficulty,  labour,  danger,  or  expense,  in  the  prosecution  of  any 
great  object.  She  had  a  masculine  understanding,  great  power 
of  mind,  great  vigour,  and  was  very  fearless.  With  these  nobler 
qualities  were  united  some  of  the  imperfections  which  belong  to 
that  species  of  ardent  and  resolute  character."  She  belonged  to 
the  Society  of  Friends.  Her  husband  being  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  England,  their  sons  were  baptized  in  infancy  ;  nor  did 
she  ever  exert  her  influence  to  bring  them  over  to  her  own 
persuasion.  She  was  more  anxious  to  give  them  a  deep  regard 
for  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  a  lofty  moral  standard,  than  to 
quicken  their  zeal  about  the  distinctive  differences  of  religious 
opinion.  Her  system  of  education  had  in  it  some  striking  fea- 
tures. There  was  little  indulgence,  but  much  liberty.  The 
boys  were  free  to  go  where  they  would  and  do  what  they 
pleased,  and  her  eldest  son  especially  was  allowed  to  assume 
almost  the  position  of  master  in  the  house.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  her  authority,  when  exercised,  was  paramount  over  him, 
as  over  his  brothers  and  sisters.  On  being  asked  by  the  mother 
of  a  large  and  ill-managed  family,  whether  the  revolutionary 
principles  of  the  day  were  not  making  way  among  her  boys,  her 
reply  was,  "  I  know  nothing  about  revolutionary  principles  :  my 
rule  is  that  imposed  on  the  people  of  Boston, — '  implicit  obe- 
dience, unconditional  submission.'  "  Yet  the  character  of  her 
son  Fo\vell  was  not  without  some  strong  touches  of  wilfulness. 
He  has  described  himself,  in  more  than  one  of  his  papers,  as 
having  been  in  his  boyhood  "  of  a  daring,  violent,  domineering 

B  2 


4  HIS  MOTHER'S  INFLUENCE.  [CHAP.  T. 

temper."  "When  this  was  remarked  to  his  mother,  "  Never 
mind,"  she  would  say ;  "  he  is  self-willed  now — you  will  see  it 
turn  out  well  in  the  end." 

During  one  Christmas  vacation,  on  her  return  home  from  a 
brief  absence,  she  was  told  that  "  Master  Fowell  had  behaved 
very  ill,  and  struck  his  sister's  governess."  She  therefore  deter- 
mined to  punish  him,  by  leaving  him  at  school  during  the  en- 
suing Easter  holidays.  Meanwhile,  however,  some  disorderly 
conduct  took  place  in  the  school,  and  two  boys,  who  had  behaved 
worst  in  the  affair,  were  likewise  to  remain  there  during  the 
vacation.  Mrs.  Buxton  was  unwilling  to  leave  him  alone  with 
these  boys,  and  on  the  first  day  of  the  holidays  she  went  to 
Greenwich  and  fairly  told  Fowell  her  difficulty  ;  ending  by 
saying  that,  rather  than  subject  him  to  their  injurious  influence, 
she  was  prepared  to  forfeit  her  word  and  allow  him  to  come 
home  with  her  other  sons.  His  answer  was,  "  Mother,  never 
fear  that  I  shall  disgrace  you  or  myself;  my  brothers  are  ready, 
and  so  is  my  dinner!"  After  such  a  reply  the  resolution  of  a 
less  determined  parent  must  have  given  way  ;  but  she  undauntedly 
left  him  to  his  punishment. 

Her  aim  appears  to  have  been  to  give  her  boys  a  manly  and 
robust  character;  and,  both  by  precept  and  example,  she  strove 
to  render  them  self-denying,  and,  at  the  same  time,  thoughtful 
for  others. 

Long  afterwards,  when  actively  occupied  in  London,  her  son 
wrote  to  her  : — "  I  constantly  feel,  especially  in  action  and  ex- 
ertion for  others,  the  effects  of  principles  early  planted  by  you 
in  my  mind."  He  particularly  alluded  to  the  abhorrence  of 
slavery  and  the  slave-trade,  with  which  she  had  imbued  him. 

His  size  and  strength  well  fitted  him  for  country  amusements ; 
and  he  early  acquired  a  strong  taste  for  hunting,  shooting,  and 
fishing,  under  the  auspices  of  the  gamekeeper,  Abraham  1'lasfow. 
Tiiis  gamekeeper  was  one  of  those  characters  occasionally  to  be 
met  with  in  the  country,  uniting  straightforward  honest  sim- 
plicity with  great  shrewdness  and  humour.  He  was  well  fitted 
to  train  his  three  young  masters  in  those  habits  of  fearlessness 
and  hardihood  which  their  mother  wished  them  to  pixx-ss.  His 
influence  over  them  is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Duxton,  in  a  letter 
dated 


1786—1802.]  AIHiAllAM  PLASTOW.  5 

"CromerHall,  August  23,   1825. 

'•  My  father  died  when  I  was  very  young,  and  I  became  at  ten  yours 
old  almost  as  much  tin-  master  of  the  family  as  I  am  of  this  family  at  the 
present  moment.  My  mother,  a  woman  of  great  talents  and  great  energy, 
perpetually  inculcated  on  my  brothers  and  sisters  that  they  were  to  obey 
me,  and  I  \\asratherencouragedto  play  the  little  tyrant.  She  treated  me 
as  an  equal,  conversed  with  me,  and  led  me  to  form  and  express  my 
opinions  without  reserve.  This  system  had  obvious  and  great  disadvan- 
tages, but  it  was  followed  by  some  few  incidental  benefits.  Throughout 
life  1  have  acted  and  thought  for  myself;  and  to  this  kind  of  habitual 
decision  I  am  indebted  for  all  the  success  I  have  met  with. 

••  Mv  '  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend,'  was  Abraham  Plastow,  the 
gamekeeper:  a  man  for  whom  I  have  ever  felt,  and  still  feel,  very  great 
affection.  lie  was  a  singular  character:  in  the  first  place,  this  tutor  of 
mine  could  neither  read  nor  write,  but  his  memory  was  stored  with 
various  rustic  knowledge.  He  had  more  of  natural  good  sense  and  what 
is  called  mother-wit  than  almost  any  person  I  have  met  with  since :  a 
knack  which  he  had  of  putting  everything  into  new  and  singular  lights 
made  him,  and  still  makes  him,  a  most  entertaining  and  even  intellectual 
companion.  He  was  the  most  undaunted  of  men  :  I  remember  my 
youthful  admiration  of  his  exploits  on  horseback.  For  a  time  he  hunted 
my  uncle's  hounds,  and  his  fearlessness  was  proverbial.  But  what  made 
him  particularly  valuable  were  his  principles  of  integrity  and  honour. 
He  never  said  or  did  a  thing  in  the  absence  of  my  mother  of  which  she 
would  have  disapproved.  He  always  held  up  the  highest  standard  of 
integrity,  and  filled  our  youthful  minds  with  sentiments  as  pure  and  as 
generous  as  could  be  found  in  the  writings  of  Seneca  or  Cicero.  Such 
was  my  first  instructor,  and,  I  must  add,  my  best;  for  I  think  I  have 
profited  more  by  the  recollection  of  his  remarks  and  admonition,  than 
by  the  more  learned  and  elaborate  discourses  of  all  my  other  tutors.  He 
was  our  playfellow  and  tutor;  he  rode  with  us,  fished  with  us,  shot  with 
us  upon  all  occasions."  * 

One  among-  many  anecdotes  remembered  of  this  man  may  be 
recorded.  The  young  Buxtons  had  been  sent  out  hunting-,  and, 
as  usual,  under  Abraham's  care.  As  they  were  approaching  the 

*  This  faithful  servant  died  in  1836.  "The  tears,"  said  Mr.  Haubuiy, 
who  visited  him  on  his  death-bed,  '•  trickled  down  his  goodly  countenance 
•while  speaking  of  his  rides  long  ago  with  his  young  master." 

The  following  inscription  on  a  mural  tablet,  in  Earl's  Colue  churchyard, 
erected  by  the  contributions  of  his  neighbours,  speaks  their  sense  of  his 
worth  : — 

"  To  the  memory  of  Abraham  Plastow,  who  lived  for  more  than  half  a 


BELLF1ELD.  [CHAP.  i. 


scene  of  sport,  Fowell  made  use  of  an  improper  expression,  upon 
which  the  gamekeeper  insisted  upon  his  returning  home  at  once, 
and  carried  his  point. 

Occasionally  the  holidays  were  passed  by  the  children  with 
their  grandmother,  either  in  London  or  at  Bellfield,  her  country- 
house,  near  Weymouth.*  The  formality  of  her  life  in  town  was 
rather  unpalatable  to  them  ;  even  the  exceptions  to  her  rules 
were  methodically  arranged  ;  her  Sunday  discipline,  for  example, 
was  very  strict,  but  on  one  (and  only  one)  Sunday  in  the  year 
she  gave  the  children  the  treat  of  a  drive  in  the  park.  A  visit  to 
Bellfield  was  more  attractive,  and  there  young  Buxton  spent 
many  of  the  happiest  hours  of  his  boyhood.  The  house,  which, 
at  the  death  of  his  grandmother,  became  his  own  (though  till 
lately  inhabited  by  his  uncle  Mr.  Charles  Buxton),  is  beautifully 
situated,  commanding  fine  views  of  Weymouth  Bay  and  the  Island 
of  Portland.  To  this  spot  he  ever  continued  much  attached,  and 
his  letters  from  thence  always  mention  his  great  enjoyment  of  its 
beauties.  He  thus  refers  to  an  incident  which  occurred  when  he 
was  a  lad  at  Bellfield  : — 

"  In  passing  with  my  brother  Edward  in  a  very  small  boat  from 
Wevmouth  to  Poxwell,  a  sudden  storm  came  on  and  the  boat  filled.  We 
turned  to  the  shore :  he  could  not  swim,  I  could.  I  placed  him  in  the 
front  of  the  boat  and  rowed  with  all  my  force  through  the  surf;  the 
boat  overturned,  threw  him  on  shore,  but  I  went  down.  I  swam  to  the 
boat,  and  after  considerable  difficulty  was  also  thrown  on  shore  through 
the  surf." 


century,  servant  and  gamekeeper,  in  the  families  of  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton 
and  Osgood  Gee,  Esqrs. :  — 

"  Of  humble  station,  yet  of  sterling  worth; 
Awaiting  Heaven,  but  yet  content  on  earth  : 
Quaint,  honest,  simple-hearted,  kind,  sh; 
Such  was  the  man,  to  all  our  village  dear  ! 
He  liv'd  in  peace,  in  hope  resigu'd  his  breath. 
Go — learn  a  lesson  from  his  life  and  death." 

*  Soon  after  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Isaac  Buxton,  they  had  visited  this 
estate  together,  and  she  incidentally  remarked  to  him,  what  a  beautiful  spot 
it  would  be  for  a  country-seat.     The  next  year,  when  she  accompanied  him 
thither  again,  she  found,  to  her  astonishment,   instead  of  mere  fie' 
-,  an  elegant  COOntTJ-hoose,  surrounded  by  lawns  aud  gardens. 


1786—1802.]  EARLHAM. 


Weymouth  was  at  this  period  the  favourite  resort  of  George  III., 
and  the  king  and  royal  family  frequently  visited  Mrs.  Buxton. 
Her  grandchildren  always  retained  a  vivid  impression  of  the  cor- 
dial kindness  of  their  royal  guests. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen,  after  spending  eight  years  at  Dr.  Burney's, 
without  making  any  great  advances  in  learning,  he  persuaded  his 
mother  to  allow  him  to  reside  at  home ;  and  there  he  remained 
for  many  months,  devoting  the  chief  part  of  his  time  to  sporting, 
and  the  remainder  to  desultory  reading.  When  no  active 
amusement  presented  itself,  he  would  sometimes  spend  whole  days 
in  riding  about  the  lanes  on  his  old  pony,  with  an  amusing  book 
in  his  hand,  while  graver  studies  were  entirely,  laid  aside.  At 
the  same  time  his  friends  attempted  to  correct  the  boyish  rough- 
ness of  his  manners  by  a  system  of  ridicule  and  reproof,  which 
greatly  discouraged  and  annoyed  him.  It  was  indeed  a  critical 
time  for  his  character ;  but  the  germ  of  nobler  qualities  lay 
below ;  a  genial  influence  was  alone  wanting  to  develop  it ;  and, 
through  the  kindness  of  Providence,  as  he  used  emphatically  to 
acknowledge,  that  influence  was  at  hand.  Before  this  period  he 
had  become  acquainted  with  John,  the  eldest  son  of  Mr.  John 
Gurney,  of  Earlhain  Hall,  near  Norwich,  with  whose  family  his 
own  was  distantly  connected,  and,  in  the  autumn  of  1801,  he 
paid  his  friend  a  visit  at  his  father's  house. 

Mr.  Gurney  had  for  several  years  been  a  widower.  His  family 
consisted  of  eleven  children ;  three  elder  daughters,  on  the 
eldest  of  whom  the  charge  of  the  rest  chiefly  devolved,  the  son 
whom  we  have  mentioned,  a  group  of  four  girls  nearer  Fowell 
Buxton's  age,  and  three  younger  boys.  He  was  then  in  his  six- 
teenth year,  and  was  charmed  by  the  lively  and  kindly  spirit 
which  pervaded  the  whole  party,  while  he  was  surprised  at 
finding  them  all,  even  the  younger  portion  of  the  family,  zealously 
occupied  in  self-education,  and  full  of  energy  in  every  pursuit, 
whether  of  amusement  or  of  knowledge.  They  received  him  as 
one  of  themselves,  early  appreciating  his  masterly,  though  still 
uncultivated  mind  ;  while  on  his  side,  their  cordial  and  encouraging 
welcome  seemed  to  draw  out  all  his  latent  powers.  He  at  once 
joined  with  them  in  reading  and  study,  and  from  this  visit  may  be 
dated  a  remarkable  change  in  the  whole  tone  of  his  character:  he 
received  a  stimulus,  not  merely  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge, 


MR.  GUBNEY,  OF  EARLHAM.  [CHAP.  i. 


but  in  the  formation  of  studious  habits  and  intellectual  tastes  ;  nor 
could  the  same  influence  fail  of  extending  to  the  refinement  of  his 
disposition  and  manners. 

Earlham  itself  possessed  singular  charms  for  their  young  and 
lively  party.  They  are  described  at  the  time  of  his  visit  as 
spending  the  fine  autumn  afternoons  in  sketching  and  reading 
under  the  old  trees  in  the  park,  or  in  taking  excursions,  some  on 
foot,  some  on  horseback,  into  the  country  round ;  wandering 
homeward  towards  evening,  with  their  drawings  and  the  wild 
flowers  they  had  found.  The  roomy  old  hall,  also,  was  well 
fitted  for  the  cheerful,  though  simple  hospitalities  which  Mr. 
Gurney  delighted  to  exercise,  especially  towards  the  literary  so- 
ciety, for  which  Norwich  was  at  that  time  distinguished. 

A  characteristic  anecdote  of  Mr.  Gurney  has  been  recorded. 
He  was  a  strict  preserver  of  his  game,  and  accordingly  had  an 
intense  repugnance  to  everything  bordering  on  poaching.  Upon 
one  occasion,  when  walking  in  his  park,  he  heard  a  shot  fired  in 
a  neighbouring  wood — he  hurried  to  the  spot,  and  his  naturally 
placid  temper  was  considerably  ruffled  on  seeing  a  young  officer 
with  a  pheasant  at  his  feet,  deliberately  reloading  his  gun.  As 
the  young  man,  however,  replied  to  his  rather  warm  expressions 
by  a  polite  apology,  Mr.  Gurney's  wrath  was  somewhat  allayed; 
but  he  could  not  refrain  from  asking  the  intruder  what  he  would 
do,  if  he  caught  a  man  trespassing  on  his  premises.  "  I  would 
ask  him  in  to  luncheon,"  was  the  reply.  The  serenity  of  this 
impudence  was  not  to  be  resisted.  Mr.  Gurney  not  only  invited 
him  to  luncheon,  but  supplied  him  with  dogs  and  a  game- 
keeper, and  secured  him  excellent  sport  for  the  remainder  of 
the  day.* 

Mr.  Gurney  belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends ;  but  his 
family  was  not  brought  up  with  any  strict  regard  to  its  pecu- 
liarities. He  put  little  restraint  on  their  domestic  amusements; 
and  music  and  dancing  were  among  their  favourite  recreations. 
The  third  daughter,  afterwards  the  well-known  Mrs.  Fry,  had 
indeed  united  herself  more  closely  to  the  Society  of  Friends  ;f 

*  This   anecdote,   which   is   still    fresh   in   the   memory   of  several   of 
Mr.   Gurney's  children,  was  borrowed   by   Hook,   in   his   tale  of  <  > 
Gurney. 

t  See  Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  Elizabeth  Fry.     Charles  Gilr-in,  1847. 


1786—1802.]  LETTERS  FROM  EARLHAM. 


but  her  example  in  thi>  respect  had  not  as  yet  been  followed  by 
any  of  her  brothers  or  sisters. 

Such  was  the  family  of  which  Fowell  Buxton  might  be  said  to 
have  become  a  member,  at  this  turning  point  of  his  life.  The 
following  letters  were  written  to  his  mother  during  his  visit  to 
Karl  ham. 

"  Earlham,  October,  1801. 

"  My  dear  Mother, — I  was  very  much  pleased  with  all  your  last, 
excepting  that  part  in  which  you  mention  the  (to  me  at  least)  hateful 
subject  of  St.  Andrew's.* 

"  It  gives  me  pain  to  write,  because  it  will  you  to  read,  that  my 
aversion  is,  ever  was,  and  ever  will  be  invincible  ;  nevertheless,  if  you 
command,  I  will  obey.  You  will  exclaim,  '  How  ungrateful,  after  all 
the  pleasure  he  has  had !'  Pleasure,  great  pleasure,  I  certainly  have 
had,  but  not  sufficient  to  counterbalance  the  unhappiness  the  pursuance 
of  your  plan  would  occasion  me ;  but,  as  I  said  before,  I  will  obey. 

"  If  you  think  fit,  I  shall  return  to  Cromer  on  Wednesday.  North- 
repps  is  perfectly  delightful.  I  have  dined  many  times  with  Mr.  Pym  : 
a  letter  he  has  received  from  his  brother  in  Ireland  says,  '  Nothing  but 
speculation,  peculation,  and  paper  exists  in  this  unhappy  country.'  I 
am  going  to  Lord  Wodehouse's  this  morning,  and  to  a  ball  at  Mr.  Kett's 
at  night." 

"  Earlham,  November  24,  1801. 

"  My  dear  Mother, — Your  letter  was  brought  while  I  was  deliberat- 
ing whether  to  stay  here,  or  meet  you  in  London.  The  contents 
afforded  me  real  joy.  Before,  I  almost  feared  you  would  think  me  en- 
croaching ;  yet  Mr.  Gurney  is  so  good-tempered,  his  daughters  are  so 
agreeable,  and  John  is  so  thoroughly  delightful,  and  his  conversation  so 
instructive,  which  is  no  small  matter  with  you  I  know,  that  you  must 
not  be  surprised  at  my  accepting  your  offer  of  a  few  days'  longer  stay 
in  this  country.  Whilst  I  was  at  Northrepps,  I  did  little  else  but  read 
books  of  entertainment  (except  now  and  then  a  few  hours  Latin  and 
Greek),  ride,  and  play  at  chess.  But  since  I  have  been  at  Earlham,  I 
have  been  very  industrious.  The  Princef  paid  us  a  visit  this  morning, 
and  dines  here  on  Thursday.  "  Your  affectionate  son, 

"  T.  F.  BUXTON." 

"  My  visit  here  has  completely  answered,"  he  says  with  boyish 
enthusiasm,  in  his  last  letter  from  Mr.  Gurney 's  house.  ••  I 

*  His  mother  had  proposed  to  send  him  to  the  College  at  St.  Andrew's. 
t  Prince  William  of  Gloucester. 


10  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  FAMILY  AT  EARLHAM.     [CHAP.  i. 

have  spent  two  months  as  happily  as  possible ;  I  have  learned  as 
much,  though  in  a  different  manner,  as  I  should  at  Colne,  and 
have  got  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  most  agreeable  family 
in  the  world." 

In  December,  1801,  he  returned  to  Earl's  Colne  ;  but  his 
mind  never  lost  the  impulse  which  it  had  received  during  his 
stay  at  Earl  ham.  Many  years  afterwards  he  thus  refers  to  this 
early  friendship,  which  he  places  first  in  an  enumeration  of  the 
blessings  of  his  life. 

"  I  know  no  blessing  of  a  temporal  nature  (and  it  is  not  only  tem- 
poral) for  which  I  ought  to  render  so  many  thanks  as  my  connexion 
with  the  Earlham  family.  It  has  given  a  colour  to  my  life.  Its  influ- 
ence was  most  positive  and  pregnant  with  good,  at  that  critical  period 
between  school  and  manhood.  They  were  eager  for  improvement — I 
caught  the  infection.  I  was  resolved  to  please  them,  and  in  the  College 
of  Dublin,  at  a  distance  from  all  my  friends,  and  all  control,  their  influ- 
ence, and  the  desire  to  please  them,  kept  me  hard  at  my  books,  and 
sweetened  the  toil  they  gave.  The  distinctions  I  gained  at  College 
(little  valuable  as  distinctions,  but  valuable  because  habits  of  industry, 
perseverance,  and  reflection  were  necessary  to  obtain  them),  these 
boyish  distinctions  were  exclusively  the  result  of  the  animating  passion 
in  my  mind,  to  carry  back  to  them  the  prizes  which  they  prompted  and 
enabled  me  to  win." 


1802.]         EDUCATION  IN  IRELAND— DONNYBROOK.  11 


CHAPTER  II. 

1802—1807. 

Education  in  Ireland  —  Donnybrook —  Emmett's  Rebellion  —  Dublin  Uni- 
versity— Correspondence  —  Engagement  to  Miss  H.  Gurney  —  Historical 
Society — Escape  from  Shipwreck  —  Correspondence — Success  at  Col- 
lege —  Invitation  to  represent  the  University  in  Parliament  —  His 
Marriage. 

As  there  were  reasons  for  expecting  that  her  son  would  inherit 
considerable  property  in  Ireland,  Mrs.  Buxton  deemed  it  advisa- 
ble that  he  should  complete  his  education  at  Dublin  ;  and,  ac- 
cordingly, in  the  winter  of  1802  he  was  placed  in  the  family  of 
Mr.  Moore  of  Donnybrook,  who  prepared  pupils  for  the  univer- 
sity. It  was  shortly  before  the  Christmas  holidays  that  he  took 
up  his  abode  at  Donnybrook,  and  he  then  found  himself  inferior 
to  every  one  of  his  companions  in  classical  acquirements ;  but  he 
spent  the  vacation  in  siren  close  study,  that,  on  the  return  of  the 
other  pupils,  he  stood  as  the  first  among  them. 

Late  in  life  he  thus  recalls  this  period  in  a  letter  to  one  of  his 
sons,  then  under  the  roof  of  a  private  tutor  : — 

"  You  are  now  at  that  period  of  life  in  which  you  must  make  a  turn 
to  the  right  or  to  the  left.  You  must  now  give  proofs  of  principle, 
determination,  and  strength  of  mind, — or  you  must  sink  into  idleness, 
and  acquire  the  habits  and  character  of  a  desultory,  ineffective  young 
man  ;  and  if  once  you  fall  to  that  point,  you  will  find  it  no  easy  matter 
to  rise  again. 

"  I  am  sure  that  a  young  man  may  be  very  much  what  he  pleases. 
In  my  own  case  it  was  so.  I  left  school,  where  I  had  learnt  little  or 
nothing,  at  about  the  age  of  fourteen.  I  spent  the  next  year  at  home, 
learning  to  hunt  and  shoot.  Then  it  was  that  the  prospect  of  going  to 
College  opened  upon  me,  and  such  thoughts  as  I  have  expressed  in  this 
letter  occurred  to  my  mind.  I  made  my  resolutions,  and  I  acted  up  to 
them  :  I  gave  up  all  desultory  reading — I  never  looked  into  a  novel  or 
a  newspaper — I  gave  up  shooting.  During  the  five  years  I  was  in 
Ireland,  I  hud  the  liberty  of  going  when  I  pleased  to  a  capital  shooting 


12  EMMETT'S  REBELLION.  [CHAP.  u. 

place.  I  never  went  but  twice.  In  short,  I  considered  every  hour  as 
precious,  and  I  made  everything  bend  to  my  determination  not  to  be 
behind  any  of  my  companions, — and  thus  I  speedily  passed  from  one 
species  of  character  to  another  I  had  been  a  boy  fond  of  pleasure  and 
idleness,  reading  only  books  of  unprofitable  entertainment — I  became 
speedily  a  youth  of  steady  habits  of  application,  and  irresistible  resolu- 
tion. I  soon  gained  the  ground  I  had  lost,  and  I  found  those  things 
which  were  difficult  and  almost  impossible  to  my  idleness,  easy  enough 
to  my  industry ;  and  much  of  my  happiness  and  all  my  prosperity  in 
life  have  resulted  from  the  change  I  made  at  your  age.  It  all  rests  with 
yourself.  If  you  seriously  resolve  to  be  energetic  and  industrious, 
depend  upon  it  you  will  for  your  whole  life  have  reason  to  rejoice  that 
you  were  wise  enough  to  form  and  to  act  upon  that  determination." 

From  Donnybrook  he  writes  to  his  mother, — 

"  Tell  my  Uncle  Hanbury  that  no  two  clerks  in  his  brewhouse  are 
together  so  industrious  as  I  am,  for  I  read  morning,  noon,  and  night." 

During  his  stay  at  this  place,  the  country  was  disturbed  by 
the  breaking  out  of  the  "  Kilwarden  rebellion,"  instigated  by 
the  unfortunate  Robert  Emmett.  To  meet  the  danger,  volunteer 
corps  were  hastily  organised,  one  of  which  Mr.  Buxton  joined  as 
a  lieutenant.  The  current  reports  of  the  day  are  thus  sketched 
by  him  in  his  letters  to  his  mother : — 

"  Everybody  abuses  the  Lord-Lieutenant.  He  received  information 
from  all  parts  of  the  kingdom  that  the  rising  was  to  take  place  on 
Saturday  night,  and  all  the  preparation  he  made  was  to  send  2500  men 
to  take  care  of  his  house  and  family  at  the  Park.  The  soldiers  in 
Dublin  had  no  ammunition.  Colonel  Littlehales,  Mr.  Marsden,  and 
every  officer  of  the  Castle,  were  away  from  their  posts ;  and  for  two 
hours  after  the  rising  began,  and  while  the  rebels  were  murdering  Lord 
Kilwarden,  Colonel  Brown,  and  all  the  soldiers  they  could  catch, 
nothing  was  done  by  government. 

"  After  the  first  alarm,  however,  had  subsided,  the  soldiers  collected 
in  small  parties,  and  the  rebels  were  soon  put  to  the  rout ;  before  morn- 
ing. 10,000  pikes  were  taken,  all  the  prisons  in  Dublin  were  filled  with 
rebels,  and  from  200  to  300  are  supposed  to  have  been  killed. 
and  I  watched  last  night  at  Donnybrook,  with  our  pistols  loaded,  for  it 
\MI<  expected  that  they  would  attack  the  outskirts.  However,  they  did 
not  come.  A  great  many  Lucan  people  were  found  dead  in  Dublin. 
Kverv  noted  rebel  was  seen  going  to  Dublin  on  Saturday  evening. 
The  gardener  and  workmen  say  there  were  500  rebels  at  Mr.  North's 


1803.]  DUBLIN  UNIVERSITY.  13 

gate  that  night.     Only  two  mails  came  into   Dublin  on  Sunday — one 
>jiped  at  Lucan  and  another  at  Maynooth." 

"  Dublin,  August  7,  1803. 

"  Dublin  is  in  appearance  perfectly  quiet  again,  but  the  minds  of  the 
people  arc  in  rebellion.  Pym,  who  goes  by  the  name  of  Lord  Sage, 
savs  this  is  by  far  a  more  dangerous  rebellion  than  the  last,  as  it  is  more 
concealed.  The  plan  was  for  three  bodies  of  6000  men  each  to  enter 
Dublin  ;  one  party  to  take  the  Castle,  another  the  barracks,  the  other 
to  spread  about  the  city  and  murder  every  Protestant.  Luckily,  the 
hearts  of  all  but  about  6000  failed.  The  attack  was  to  have  commenced 
at  two  in  the  morning,  but  whisky,  which  was  given  to  keep  up  their 
spirits,  made  them  begin  their  outrage  the  evening  before  at  nine. 
They  were  opposed  by  seventeen  yeomen,  and  these  brave  rebels,  who 
were  ready  to  sacrifice  their  lives  i'or  their  liberty,  after  four  rounds  of 
firing,  all  ran  away  from  this  small  body  1* 

''The  Lord-Lieutenant  is  abused  by  every  loyal  person.  People 
who  slept  in  the  Castle  on  the  night  of  the  rising  say  it  must  have 
been  lost  if  the  rebels  had  come." 

Another  incident  of  his  stay  at  Donnybrook  is  thus  mentioned. 
"  A  companion  of  mine,  not  knowing  it  was  loaded,  presented  a 
pistol  at  me  and  pulled  the  trigger.  It  had  often  missed  fire 
before,  and  did  so  then :  immediately  afterwards  I  pulled  the 
trigger,  it  went  off,  and  sent  the  ball  into  the  wall." 

After  remaining  a  year  at  Donnybrook,  he  paid  another  visit 
to  Earlham.  "  We  are  most  completely  happy  here,"  he  writes 
to  his  mother;  "  everything  goes  on  well,  and  you  need  not  fear 
that  I  am  losing  my  time,  for  being  with  the  Gurneys  makes  me 
ten  times  more  industrious  than  anything  else  would." 

In  October,  1803,  he  returned  to  Dublin,  and  entered  Trinity 
College  as  a  fellow  commoner.  At  that  time  there  were  four 
examinations  annually  in  the  Dublin  University — making  in  all 
fourteen  during  the  college  course  of  the  fellow  commoners. 
At  each  of  these  a  premium  was  given  to  the  successful  candidate 
in  every  division  or  class,  if  he  had  not  already  received  one  in 
the  same  year,  in  which  case  a  certificate,  which  was  equal  to  it 
in  honour,  was  given  instead. 

*  See  'Annual  Register,'  1803;  and  Maxwell's  'History  of  the  Irish 
Rebellion,'  which  gives  an  interesting  account  of  Emmett's  conspiracy, 


14  FIRST  SUCCESS.  [CHAP.  n. 

At  the  end  of  the  college  course  a  gold  medal  was  also  pre- 
sented to  those  who,  at  each  examination,  had  distinguished 
themselves  in  every  subject  (one  failure  being  allowed). 

Mr.  Buxton  at  once  commenced  his  studies  with  great  vigour, 
and  in  his  first  examination  obtained  the  second  place.  This 
success  appears  to  have  surpassed  his  expectations,  and  he  thus 
writes  to  his  sister: — Feb.  24,  1804.  "I  suppose  you  know 
how  the  examinations  have  ended — very  much  indeed  to  my 
satisfaction,  and  I  am  now  reading  away  for  the  next.  My 
mother  is  in  ecstasies  about  my  being  so  near  getting  the  pre- 
mium." And  in  a  letter  to  his  mother  he  tells  her,  he  is  reso- 
lutely bent  on  getting  it  next  time.  He  succeeded,  and,  this 
being  his  first  triumph,  he  was  not  a  little  elated ;  and  he  men- 
tions as  "  an  exceeding  addition  to  the  pleasure"  that  he  was  the 
first  Englishman,  as  far  as  he  could  ascertain,  who  had  gained  a 
premium  at  the  Dublin  University. 

Before  the  autumnal  examination,  he  writes  to  Mr.  J.  J.  Gur- 
ney,  who  was  then  reading  with  a  private  tutor  at  Oxford  : — 

"  College,  Dublin,  September  9,  1804. 

"Your  suppositions  about  my  getting  a  certificate  are,  I  am  afraid, 
very  unlikely  to  be  realised.  My  antagonists  are  very  tremendous.  In 
the  first  place,  there  are  North  and  Montgomery.  I  hardly  know 
which  of  them  I  ought  to  dread  the  most;  they  are  both  excellent 
scholars,  and  men  of  the  most  unwearied  application  :  next  Wybrants 
and  Arthur,  both  of  whom  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  beating  already. 
So  far  for  college  business  ;  I  only  wish  you  were  here  to  beat  every- 
body." 

In  a  postscript  to  this  very  letter  he  mentions  with  boyish 
glee  his  having  gained  the  certificate  in  question.  A  close 
friendship  soon  afterwards  sprang  up  between  Mr.  Buxton 
and  Mr.  John  Henry  North,  one  of  the  *•  tremendous  anta- 
gonists" to  whom  he  refers;  and  who  afterwards  distinguished 
himself  both  at  the  Irish  Bar,  and  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

Their  course  at  college  was  nearly  parallel,  and  as  they  did 
not  on  this  or  any  succeeding  occasion  happen  to  be  placed  in 
the  same  division,  they  were  never  brought  into  competition. 
This  friendship,  maintained  during  Mr.  .North's  life,  was  one  of 
the  circumstances  to  which,  in  recollections  of  his  college  da\ .«, 


1805.]  ENGAGEMENT  TO  MISS  H.  GURNEY.  15 

Mr.   Buxton   always   recurred    with    the    most   lively  pleasure. 
His  mention  of  his  friend  at  this  early  age  is  interesting : — 

"  His  temper  is  cheerful,  his  taste  remarkably  elegant,  and  adapted 
to  receive  pleasure  from  the  beauties  of  nature.  His  manners  so  cap- 
tivating that  you  must  be  pleased  by  them ;  and  his  heart  so  good  that 
you  must  love  him." 

Whenever  Mr.  Buxton  could  escape  from  Dublin,  he  visited 
Earlham,  and  an  attachment,  which  he  dated  from  the  first  day 
they  met,  gradually  ripened,  between  him  and  Hannah,  fifth 
daughter  of  Mr.  Gurney ;  till  in  March,  1805,  they  were  en- 
gaged to  be  married. 

But  while  in  this  direction  a  bright  prospect  opened  before 
him,  in  another  the  clouds  appeared  to  be  gathering  about  his 
path.  Other  claimants*  had  come  forward  to  contest  his  right 
to  the  Irish  property ;  his  mother  had  undertaken  an  expensive 
lawsuit  regarding  it,  and  her  hopes  of  success  were  already 
growing  dim.  At  the  same  time  the  family  property  had  been 
materially  diminished  by  some  unsuccessful  speculations  in  which 
she  had  engaged. 

Her  son's  letters,  however,  (addressed  for  the  most  part  to 
Earlham,)  bear  little  trace  of  anxiety  : — 

"  April,  1805. 

"  The  examinations  are  over,  but,  alas !  I  cannot  describe  the  disasters 
that  have  befallen  me.  Think  how  disagreeable  a  circumstance  it  must 
be  to  me  to  have  all  my  hopes  disappointed,  to  lose  the  certificate,  to 
have  my  gold  medal  stopped,  and,  what  is  worse,  to  know  that  my 
Earlham  visit,  as  it  was  the  cause  of  my  idleness,  was  the  cause  of  my 
disgrace.  Think  of  all  this,  and  fetch  a  very,  very  deep  sigh, — and  look 
very  grave,  and  then  think  how  happy  I  must  be  to  have  to  tell  YOU, 
that  my  utmost  examinationary  hopes  are  realized, — that  I  have  the  cer- 
tificate and  '  Valde  bene  in  omnibus,'  and,  what  is  better,  that  I  can 

ascribe  my  success  to  nothing  but  my  Earlham  visit ! I  am 

sure  that,  if  I  had  not  thought  that  I  was  partly  working  for  you,  I 
never  should  have  been  able  to  read  so  much  during  this  month. 
The  examiner  told  five  of  my  opponents  that  he  was  sorry  he  had  not 
a  premium  for  each  of  them.  I  was  not  '  cut  up  '  (as  the  college  phrase 
is)  during  the  whole  examination,  and  if  I  have  been  the  trumpeter  of 
my  own  praise  a  little  too  much,  you  must  remember  that  one  slight 

*  Of  the  Yorke  family. 


16  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY.  [CHAP.  n. 

word  of  approbation  from  Earl  ham  would  be  more  grateful  to  me  than 
the  loudest  applause  of  the  whole  world  besides." 

He  mentions  in  a  letter  dated  May  15,  1805,  that  he  had 
been  spending1  the  preceding  fortnight  "  chiefly  in  reading 
English  poetry  ;"  and  he  adds, 

"  I  went  yesterday,  for  the  first  time,  to  a  schoolmaster  who  gives 
lectures  on  reading.  I  have  long  felt  my  deficiency  in  that  most  useful 
qualification,  especially  when  I  was  last  at  Earlham,  and  I  then  made  a 
firm  resolution  to  conquer  it.  However,  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could 
keep  my  determination,  for  my  companions  have  entertained  themselves 
very  much  at  the  idea  of  my  going  to  school  to  learn  to  read.  But  I 
expect  to  gain  two  very  material  advantages  by  this  plan  ;  the  first  is, 
that  perhaps  it  may  afford  you  pleasure,  and  secondly,  that,  as  I  go  im- 
mediately after  dinner,  it  will  furnish  an  opportunity  for  avoiding,  with- 
out openly  quarrelling  with,  a  party  of  collegians,  into  whose  society  I 
have  lately  got,  and  whose  habits  of  drinking  make  me  determine  to 
retreat  from  them." 

"  College,  Dublin,  September  29,  1805. 

"  My  mind  has  lately  been  very  much  occupied  with  the  considera- 
tion of  the  lawfulness  of  taking  oaths,  because  my  College  pursuits 
would  lose  a  great  deal  of  their  stimulus  if  I  thought  I  should  not  go  to 
the  Bar,  for  the  information  which  I  may  acquire  here  would  be  com- 
paratively of  little  use  to  any  one  but  a  lawyer.  To  remove  or 
strengthen  my  doubts  I  have  been  reading  '  Palcy's  Philosophy,'  and, 
indeed,  he  has  almost  convinced  me  that  taking  oaths  is  not  the  kind  of 
swearing  that  is  prohibited.  I  have  endeavoured  to  free  my  mind  from 
prejudice  on  one  side,  and  interest  on  the  other;  and  I  think  that  if  I 
felt  a  bias  at  all,  it  was  against  swearing,  which  arose  from  the  fear  of 
being  actuated  by  my  wishes,  rather  than  by  reason." 

In  October,  1805,  he  and  his  friend  North  took  their  seats 
together  in  the  Historical  Society.*  In  one  of  his  letters  he 

*  This  was  an  association  established  by  the  students  of  the  University, 
with  a  view  of  promoting  the  practice  of  elocution  and  the  study  of  history, 
and  was  an  object  of  great  interest  among  them.  Debates  were  held  every 
•week  durins;  the  last  term  of  the  year.  After  each  debate,  every  member 
present  named  the  one  who  in  his  opinion  had  spoken  most  effectively,  and 
at"  the  end  of  the  year  the  under-graduate  who  had  gained  the  largest  num- 
ber of  suffrages  received  a  silver  medal.  Another  medal  was  the  prize  at 
the  annual  examination  in  history.  No  one  was  admitted  into  the  socicty 
until  the  end  of  his  second  year  of  residence  at  the  University  ;  and,  conse- 
quently, two  medals  for  eloquence,  and  two  for  history,  were  the  largest 
number  that  any  one  could  obtain. 


1805.]  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY.  17 

speaks  of  the  dread  with  winch  he  looked  forward  to  "such  a 
tremendous  thing"  as  addressing  so  large  an  audience.  His  first 
speech,  however,  met  with  unexpected  success.  One  of  his 
fellow  collegians  still  remembers  "  its  producing  quite  a  sensa- 
tion among  the  under-graduates,"  and  he  himself  thus  writes  to 
Earlham  : — 

"  November,  1805. 

"  I  did  not  answer  your  letter  before,  because  I  wished  to  state  the 
result  of  my  speech,  which  is  beyond  my  utmost  expectations.  Five 
persons  spoke  besides  myself:  ninety-two  members  gave  Returns,  of 
which  eighty-five  were  for  me.  A  law  exists  in  the  Society,  that  if  any 
one  should  get  eighty  Returns  for  a  speech,  he  is  to  receive  the 
'  remarhahk  thanks.'  There  has  never  been  an  opportunity  of  putting 
tins  law  in  force  till  now." 

"  Wednesday,  December  25,  1805. 

"  I  made  a  speech  last  night  in  the  Historical  Society,  and,  contrary 
to  my  former  determination,  I  intend  to  speak  once  more.  I  am 
induced  to  do  this  by  getting  a  great  many  more  Returns  than  I  had 
any  reason  to  expect. 

"  I  have,  I  fear,  very  little  chance  of  getting  the  premium  ;  however, 
if  I  do  not,  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  result  of  my  studies  this 
term.  I  have  taken  very  little  sleep,  amusement,  or  exercise  lately,  the 
consequence  of  which  is  that  I  have  been  very  unwell." 

His  hopes  were  more  than  realised ;  not  only  did  he  again 
carry  off  the  premium,  but  the  silver  medal  of  the  Historical 
Society  was  awarded  him,  of  which  he  subsequently  gained  the 
other  three  prizes.  At  College,  indeed,  nothing  but  good 
fortune  attended  him.  His  exertions  were  uniformly  crowned 
with  success ;  his  mind  found  scope  for  its  unceasing  activity ; 
his  circle  of  friends  was  choice,  yet  large ;  and  a  zest  was  added 
to  all  enjoyments  by  the  bright  prospect  afforded  him  at  Earl- 
ham.  The  gradual  overcasting  of  his  hopes  of  wealth  but  little 
affected  his  spirits.  He  says,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend — 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  of  your  unhappinesses  ;  I  wish  I  could  do 
anything  to  alleviate  them.  I  think  I  might  very  well  spare  happiness 
enough  for  a  moderate  person,  and  still  have  enough  left  for  myself." 

He  some  years  after  referred  to  his  success  in  college  as 
having  "  produced  this  amount  of  self-confidence." 

"  I  was,  and  have  always  been,  conscious  that  though  others  had 

c 


18  LOVE  OF  FIELD  SPORTS.  [CHAP.  n. 

great  talents,  mine  were  moderate  ;  that  what  I  wanted  in  ability  I  must 
make  up  by  perseverance ;  in  short,  that  I  must  work  hard  to  win,  but 
withal  a  sense  that  by  working  hard  I  could  win.  This  conviction 
that  I  could  do  nothing  without  labour,  but  that  I  could  do  anything,  or 
almost  anything  which  others  did,  by  dint  of  vigorous  application  ;  this, 
coupled  with  a  resolved  mind,  a  kind  of  plodding,  dogged  determination, 
over  which  difficulties  had  little  influence,  and  with  considerable  industry 
and  perseverance;  these  have  been  the  talents  committed  to  my  trust." 

From  the  dissipation  then  too  prevalent  in  the  University  he 
was  happily  preserved,  partly  by  his  close  and  incessant  occupa- 
tion, partly  by  his  Earlham  connexion,  and  partly  by  his  pre- 
vious education  ;  for  although  his  letters  up  to  this  period  con- 
tain no  direct  mention  of  religion,  yet  the  Christian  principles 
which  his  mother  had  instilled  into  his  mind  retained  a  certain 
influence ;  while  his  natural  firmness  of  character  enabled  him 
to  disregard  the  taunts  to  which  he  was  exposed.  He  found 
more  difficulty  in  sacrificing  to  his  academical  pursuits  the 
strong  inclination  for  field  sports  which  had  been  cherished  at 
Earl's  Colne,  and  which  accompanied  him .  through  life.  In  a 
letter  to  Earlham,  dated  May,  1806,  he  says, — 

"  One  of  the  various  advantages  I  have  derived  from  our  connexion 
is  the  check  it  has  been  to  my  sporting  inclinations.  I  am  thoroughly 
convinced  that,  had  my  mind  received  another  bent,  had  my  pursuits 
been  directed  towards  sporting,  its  charms  would  have  been  irresistible. 
A  lite  dedicated  to  amusement  must  be  most  unsatisfactory.  *  *  * 

I  think  you  need  be  under  no  apprehension  in  regard  to having 

too  much  inHuence  over  me  :  as  to  my  being  member  for  Weymouth,  it 
is  a  totally  chimerical  idea,  for,  were  I  ever  so  willing,  it  is  quite  im- 
practicable, so  you  may  lay  aside  all  fears  of  my  becoming  a  great 
man." 

His  letters  to  his  mother  at  this  period  are  chiefly  confined  to 
matters  of  business ;  one  trait  in  them  is,  however,  too  charac- 
teristic to  be  passed  over  without  notice.  Nearly  all  of  them 
conclude  with  inquiries  and  directions  about  his  horses,  in  which 
he  always  took  so  lively  an  interest,  that  it  almost  might  be 
called  personal  friendship.  "  I  mean,"  he  tells  iiis  mother,  ';  to 
visit  Weymotith  before  returning  to  Ireland,  to  see  how  my 
horses  and  relations  do."  He  was,  however,  obliged  to  hasten 
his  return  to  Dublin,  and  on  his  way  thither  he  had  a  remark- 
able escape,  the  particulars  of  which  lie  thus  describes  : — 


1806.]  ESCAPE  FROM  SHIPWRECK.  19 

"  In  the  year  1806  I  was  travelling  with  the  Earlham  party  in 
Scotland.  I  left  them  to  return  to  the  College  of  Dublin.  In  conse- 
quence of  some  conversation  about  the  Parkgate  vessels,  with  my  pre- 
sent wile,  then  Hannah  Gurney,  she  extracted  from  me  a  promise  that 
I  would  never  go  by  Parkgate.  I  was  exceedingly  impatient  to  beat 
Dublin,  in  order  to  prepare  for  my  examination :  when  I  reached  Ches- 
ter, the  captain  of  the  Parkgate  packet  came  to  me,  and  invited  me  to 
go  with  him.  The  wind  was  fair;  the  vessel  was  to  sail  in  a  few 
hours ;  he  was  sure  I  should  be  in  Dublin  early  the  next  morning, 
whereas  a  place  in  the  Holyhead  mail  was  doubtful,  and  at  best  I  must 
lose  the  next  day  by  travelling  through  Wales.  My  promise  was  a 
bitter  mortification  to  me,  but  I  could  not  dispense  with  it.  I  drank 
tea,  and  played  at  cards  with  a  very  large  party.  About  eight  or  nine 
o'clock  they  all  went  away,  on  board  the  vessel,  and  of  the  119 
persons  who  embarked  as  passengers,  118  were  drowned  before  mid- 
night." * 

The  account  in  the  newspapers  of  the  loss  of  the  Parkgate 
packet  was  seen  by  his  late  travelling  companions,  on  their 
way  into  Norfolk  ;  and  it  was  not  till  after  a  day  of  anxious  sus- 
pense that  they  heard  of  his  safe  arrival  in  Ireland.  At  Lynn 
they  received  the  following  letter  from  him  : — 

"  Have  you  heard  of  the  dreadful  accident  which  happened  to  the 
Parkgate  packet  ?  You  will  see  by  the  newspaper  the  particulars.  I 
have  been  talking  to-day  with  the  only  passenger  who  was  saved  ;  he 
says  that  there  were  119  in  the  vessel,  and  mentioned  iriany  most  me- 
lancholy circumstances.  Had  I  gone  by  Parkgate,  which  I  probably 
might  have  done,  as  we  were  detained  some  time  at  Chester,  and  ex- 
pected to  be  detained  longer,  I  should  have  been  in  the  vessel,  but  I 
declared  positively  that  I  would  not  go.  Can  you  guess  my  reason  for 
being  so  obstinate  ?" 

It  was  during  this  tour  in  Scotland  that  his  attention  appears 
to  have  been  drawn,  with  increased  earnestness,  to  the  subject 
of  religion.  "When  at  Perth  he  purchased  a  large  Bible,  with 
the  resolution,  which  he  stedfastly  kept,  of  perusing  a  portion  of 
it  every  day  ;  and  he  mentions  in  a  letter,  dated  September  10, 
1806,  that  quite  a  change  had  been  worked  in  his  mind  witli 
respect  to  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures.  "  Formerly,"  he  says, 
"  I  read  generally  rather  as  a  duty  than  as  a  pleasure, 

*  See  '  Gentleman's  Magazine,'  September,  1 806. 

c  2 


20  STUDY  OF  THE  BIBLE.  [CHAP.II. 

but  now  I  read  them  with  great  interest,  and,  I  may  say, 
happiness." 

"  I  am  sure,"  he  writes  again,  "  that  some  of  the  happiest 
hours  that  I  spend  here  are  while  I  am  reading  our  Bible,  which 
is  as  great  a  favourite  as  a  book  can  be.  I  never  before  felt  so 
assured  that  the  only  means  of  being  happy  is  from  seeking  the 
assistance  of  a  superior  Being,  or  so  inclined  to  endeavour  to 
submit  myself  to  the  direction  of  principle." 

The  College  examination  was  now  again  approaching,  and  he 
was  not  so  well  prepared  as  usual,  having  given,  as  he  feared, 
too  much  time  to  Optics,  <  of  which  science  he  speaks  as  "  the 
most  delightful  and  captivating  of  studies."  lie  writes  to  the 
party  at  Earl  ham, — 

"  I  do  not,  however,  feel  discouraged,  but  in  a  most  happy,  quiet 
mind ;  more  determined  to  work,  than  anxious  about  the  result ;  de- 
sirous of  success  for  your  sakes,  and  able  to  bear  defeat  alleviated  by 
vour  sympathy ;  but,  if  reading  can  avail,  I  wilt  be  prepared." 

After  the  examination  was  over,  he  says, — 

"  I  never  had  such  a  contest.  The  Examiner  could  not  decide  in 
the  Hall,  so  we  were  obliged  to  have  two  hours  more  this  morning; 
however,  I  can  congratulate  you  once  more.  *  *  *  I  venerate 
Optics  for  what  they  have  done  for  me  in  this  examination." 

In  the  course  of  this  examination  he  gave  an  answer  to  one 
of  the  viva  voce  questions,  which  the  Examiner  thought  incor- 
rect, and  he  passed  on  to  the  next  man  ;  but  to  the  astonishment 
of  the  other  undergraduates,  Buxton  rose  from  his  seat  and  said, 
"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  I  am  convinced  my  answer  was  cor- 
rect." The  Examiner,  after  some  demur,  consented  to  refer  to 
a  book  of  authority  on  the  subject,  and  it  proved  that  Buxton's 
answer  was  the  one  given  in  the  latest  edition  of  the  work. 

"November,  1806. 

"  I  was  strongly  pressed  to  play  at  billiards  yesterday,  which  of 
course  I  refused,*  and  was  successful  enough  to  pcrsuado  the  person  to 
employ  his  evening  in  another  way.  He  is  a  strong  instance  of  their 
injurious  effects.  He  told  me  that  when  ho  was  in  town  he  wont 

*  He  had  given  a  promise  at  Earlham  not  to  play  at  billiards  while  at 
college.  His  scruples  respecting  oaths  and  the  use  of  anus  were  derived 
from  his  intercourse  with  so  many  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 


1806—1807.]  SUCCESS  AT  COLLEGE.  21 

regularly  thivc  times  u  day  to  tlie  billiard  table,  and  that  playing  at  4d. 
a  irame,  on  an  average,  cost  him  10s.  a  day.  It  is  the  most  alluring, 
and  therefore  the  most  destructive,  game  that  ever  was  invented.  I 
have  heard  it  remarked,  and  have  indeed  remarked  it  myself,  that  if  any 
collegian  commences  billiard  playing,  he  ceases  to  do  anything  else. 
*  I  have  been  employed  all  this  morning  in  reading  history. 
I  rind  that  this  study  is  useful,  not  only  in  itself,  but  also  in  giving  a 
habit  of  reading  everything  with  accuracy.  *  *  *  Every  day 
brings  us  new  accounts  of  disturbances  in  the  remote  parts  of  the 
country  ;  I  am  almost  inclined  to  fear  there  will  be  a  rebellion.  I  have 
been  thinking  a  great  deal  lately  of  what  I  should  do  in  case  the  corps 
were  again  established  in  college.  There  is  to  me  no  question  so 
dubious  or  perplexing,  as  whether  resistance  against  danger  from  an 
enemy  is  allowable :  however,  if  I  can  trust  my  own  determination,  I 
shall  not  be  at  all  swayed  by  the  example  of  others,  or  by  the  disgrace 
which  would  attend  a  refusal  to  enlist." 

A  day  or  two  later  he  continues : — 

"  I  was  extremely  tired  at  the  Historical  Society  on  Wednesday 
night.  I  was  made  president,  and  you  cannot  imagine  the  labour  of 
keeping  a  hundred  unruly  and  violent  men  orderly  and  obedient.  The 
all-engrossing  subject  here  at  present  is  the  prospect  of  a  rebellion,  if  I 
may  say  the  prospect  when  I  think  there  is  the  reality.  Every  day  we 
hear  of  fresh  murders;  and  the  Bishop  of  Elphin,  who  is  of  the  Law 
family,  declared  openly  in  the  Castle-yard,  that  in  the  five-and-twenty 
years  he  had  resided  here,  the  people  in  his  diocese  were  never  in  so 
desperate  a  state  of  rebellion." 

On  his  return  to  England  for  a  short  holiday,  he  says — 

"  London,  January  23,  1807. 

"  It  is  a  very  great  pleasure  to  me  that  I  can  tell  you  some  news, 
which  I  think  will  delight  you.  In  the  first  place,  I  have  arrived  here 
safe  and  sound.  In  the  second,  I  have  for  the  twelfth  time  secured  the 
premium,  and  valde  bene  in  omnibus." 

On  the  14th  of  April  in  the  same  year  he  received  his  thir- 
teenth premium,  and  also  the  highest  honour  of  the  University — 
the  gold  medal.  With  these  distinctions,  and  the  four  silver 
medals  from  the  Historical  Society,  he  prepared  to  return  to  Eng- 
land. At  this  juncture  a  circumstance  occurred  which  might 
have  turned  the  whole  current  of  his  life.  A  proposal  was  made 
to  him  by  the  electors  to  come  forward  as  candidate  for  the 
representation  of  the  University,  and  good  grounds  were  given 


22  TEMPTING  PROPOSAL  DECLINED.  [CHAP.  n. 

him  to  expect  a  triumphant  return.  No  higher  token  of  esteem 
than  this  could  have  been  offered  to  one  without  wealth  or  Irish 
connexion,  and  without  the  smallest  claim  upon  the  consideration 
of  the  University,  except  what  his  personal  and  academical 
character  afforded.  Such  an  offer  it  was  not  easy  to  reject,  and 
he  was,  as  he  says  at  the  time,  "  extremely  agitated  and  pleased 
by  it."  He  weighed  the  pleasure,  the  distinction,  the  influence 
promised  by  the  political  career  thus  unexpectedly  opened 
before  him  ;  and  he  set  against  these  considerations  the  duties 
which  his  approaching  marriage  would  bring  upon  him.  Pru- 
dence prevailed,  and  he  declined  the  proposal.  His  friend  Mr. 
North  writes  to  him : — 

"  I  think  all  hearts  would  have  been  in  your  favour,  if  you  had  made 
your  appearance — and  still  they  cannot  convince  themselves  that  you 
intend  to  go  boldly  through  with  your  resolution — 4  Come  then,  my 
guide,  my  genius,  come  along.'  You  were  mistaken  in  thinking  fortune 
(in  one  sense)  a  necessary  qualification  ;  there  is  an  honourable  excep- 
tion for  the  Universities." 

Mr.  Buxton,  however,  had  come  to  a  deliberate  decision,  and 
it  was  not  to  be  shaken.  He  reached  England  at  the  end  of 
April,  and  in  the  following  month  his  marriage  took  place. 

In  one  of  his  papers  he  thus  alludes  to  the  closing  circum- 
stances of  his  academical  career  : — 

"  On  May  13,  1807,  I  obtained  the  object  of  my  long  attachment — 
having  refused,  in  consequence  of  the  prospect  of  this  marriage,  a  most 
honourable  token  of  the  esteem  of  the  University  of  Dublin.  The 
prospect  was  indeed  flattering  to  youthful  ambition — to  become  a  mem- 
ber of  Parliament,  and  my  constituents  men  of  thought  and  education, 
and  honour  and  principle — my  companions,  my  competitors — those  who 
had  known  me  and  observed  me  for  years. 

':  I  feel  now  a  pride  in  recollecting  that  it  was  from  these  men  I 
received  this  mark  of  approbation — from  men  with  whom  I  had  no 
family  alliance,  not  even  the  natural  connexion  of  compatriotism,  and 
without  high  birth  or  splendid  fortune  or  numerous  connexions  to 
recommend  me.  I  suspended  my  determination  for  one  dav.  In 
my  friends,  who  were  astonished  at  the  appearance  of  a  doubt,  am), 
having  closely  considered  all  points,  I  determined  to  decline  the  in- 
tended honour  ;  and  from  that  day  to  this,  thanks  to  God,  I  have  never 
lamented  the  determination." 


1807.]  ENTERS  TRUMAN'S  BREWERY.  23 


CHAPTER    III. 
1807—1812. 

Enters  Truman's  Brewery  —  Occupations  in  London  —  Letter  from  Mr. 
Twiss  —  Correspondence  —  Death  of  Edward  Buxton  —  Exertions  in 
the  Brewery. 

THE  first  few  months  of  Mr.  Buxton's  married  life  were  passed 
at  a  small  cottage  close  to  his  grandmother's  seat  at  Bellfield, 
and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  his  mother,  who  had  contracted  a 
second  marriage  with  Mr.  Edmund  Henning,  and  had  left  Essex 
to  reside  at  Weymouth. 

His  expectations  of  wealth  had  been  disappointed,  and  he 
found  that  his  fortunes  must  depend  upon  his  own  exertions.  After 
deliberate  consideration,  he  relinquished  the  idea  of  following 
the  profession  of  the  law,  and  entered  into  negotiations  in  differ- 
ent quarters,  with  a  view  to  establishing  himself  in  business. 
For  a  while  these  were  unsuccessful,  and  during  this  time  he 
suffered  severely  from  the  pain  of  present  inaction,  and  the 
obscurity  that  rested  on  the  future.  In  after  life,  when  refer- 
ring to  this  period,  he  said,  "  I  longed  for  any  employment  that 
would  produce  me  a  hundred  a  year,  if  I  had  to  work  twelve 
hours  a  day  for  it."  Nearly  a  year  passed  away  before  his 
anxieties  were  brought  to  a  conclusion.  The  winter  was  spent 
at  Earlham,  where  his  first  child  was  born.  Soon  afterwards,  in 
a  letter  to  his  wife  from  London,  he  says,  "  I  slept  at  Brick 
Lane  ;  my  uncles  Sampson  and  Osgood  Hanbury  were  there, 
and  revived  my  old  feelings  of  good  nephewship,  they  treated  me 
so  kindly.  This  morning  I  met  Mr.  Randall  and  your  father. 
I  think  that  I  shall  become  a  Blackwell  Hall  factor." 

This  intention  was  prevented  by  an  unexpected  turn  in  his 
fortunes,  resulting  from  his  friendly  interview  with  his  uncles. 
Within  a  few  days  Mr.  Sampson  Hanbury,  of  Truman's  Brewery 
in  Spitalfields,  offered  him  a  situation  in  that  establishment,  with 


24  NETLEY  ABBEY.  [CHAP.  in. 

a  prospect  of  becoming  a  partner  after  three  years'  probation. 
He  joyfully  acceded  to  the  proposal,  and  entered  with  great 
ardour  upon  his  new  sphere  of  action.  He  writes,  July,  1808, 
to  his  mother,  "  I  was  up  this  morning  at  four,  and  do  not 
expect  to  finish  my  day's  work  before  twelve  to-night — my 
excuse  for  silence.  I  have  not  neglected  your  business."  At 
the  close  of  the  year  he  succeeded  Mr.  Hanbury  in  the  occupa- 
tion of  a  house  connected  with  the  brewery,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  for  several  years. 

During  these  years  his  correspondence  was  not  extensive. 
Among  the  few  letters  which  have  been  preserved  is  the  follow- 
ing, addressed  to  his  wife,  who  had  accompanied  one  of  her 
brothers  to  the  Isle  of  Wight.  Mr.  Buxtoa  had  arranged  to 
join  them  there ;  but  on  arriving  at  Southampton,  he  found  that 
all  communication  with  the  island  was  interdicted  on  account  of 
the  secret  expedition  then  about  to  sail  from  Cowes,  as  it  after- 
wards proved,  to  Walcheren. 

"Southampton,  June  15,  1809. 

"  Now  that  I  have  finished  my  coffee,  I  think  I  cannot  employ  my 
time  more  profitably  or  more  pleasantly  than  in  sending  a  few  lines  to 
you.  I  am  afraid  the  embargo  has  been  a  great  trouble  to  you.  It  was 
so  to  me  when  I  first  arrived,  as  the  idea  of  spending  some  time  with 
your  party  was  particularly  pleasant ;  however,  either  by  the  aid  of 
'  divine  philosophy,'  or  from  finding  that  the  misfortune  was  irremedi- 
able, in  a  short  time  I  was  reconciled  to  my  fate,  and  began  to  consider 
how  best  to  enjoy  what  was  within  my  reach.  As  I  could  not  have  the 
living  companions  that  I  most  wished  for,  I  went  to  a  bookseller's  shop 
to  endeavour  to  find  some  agreeable  dead  ones,  and  having  made  choice 
of  '  Tristram  Shandy '  and  a  '  Patriot  King,'  I  proceeded  in  their 
honourable  company  to  the  water  side,  took  a  boat,  and  went  oft'  to 
Netlcy  Abbey.  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  this  excursion.  First  I  went  all 
over  the  interior,  and  then  walked  leisurely  round  it  at  some  distance, 
stopping  and  reading  at  every  scene  that  I  particularly  liked.  Then  I 
went  up  into  the  wood,  to  a  spot  which  seems  to  have  been  formed  lor 
a  dining-room.  While  the  boatman  was  at  dinner,  I  went  over  into  the 
next  field  to  a  higher  ground.  I  hope  this  did  not  escape  you.  The 
four  ivy-covered  broken  towers  just  below,  a  party  dining  on  the  grass- 
plat,  the  intermediate  distance  of  trees,  and  the  sea  behind,  made  it,  I 
think,  the  finest  view  I  ever  saw.  1  only  hope  you  have  sketched  it  ; 
and,  next  to  it,  I  should  wish  for  a  drawing  of  the  nearest  window  from 
the  inside — I  mean  the  one  that  is  tolerably  perfect,  with  a  great  deal 


1809—1811.]  CORRESPONDENCE.  25 

of  ivy  over  the  middle  pillar.  I  had  a  pleasant  row  home,  and  have 
since  been  thinking  about  your  party  with  the  greau-st  pleasure;  and, 
ainonnst  other  thoughts  connected  with  you,  it  has  forcibly  struck  mo 
how  beneficial  it  is  sometimes  to  be  amongst  strangers,  it  gives  such  a 
taste  and  a  relish  for  the  society  of  those  one  loves." 

TO  MRS.  HKN.MM;. 

"  December  3,  1809. 

"  My  dear  Mother, — I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  letter, 
which  furnished  me  with  several  useful  hints,  though  not  upon  the  par- 
ticular subject  on  which  I  wanted  information. 

"  As  to  the  general  propriety  and  duty  of  introducing  Christianity 
into  India,  there  cannot  be,  I  imagine,  a  question  ;  but  is  this  the  pro- 
per season?  is  not  our  empire  in  India  too  unstable  to  authorize  such  an 
experiment?  In  short  I  wished  to  determine  its  political  propriety,  to 
examine  it  with  the  eye  of  a  statesman,  not  of  a  Christian,  and  to  in- 
quire, not  what  Fenelon,  but  what  Machiavel  would  have  said  of  it. 
The  result  which  I  have  come  to  is,  that  it  would  be  highly  expedient, 
and  perhaps  the  only  measure  which  could  reinstate  our  declining  power 
in  the  East. 

"  Your  letter  shows  powers  of  which  I  may  make  eminent  use,  but 
observe,  I  must  qualify  this  praise  by  saying  that  it  wanted  method 
throughout  the  whole,  and  greater  pains  bestowed  upon  the  parts. 

"  The  Poor  Laws  is  the  next  question  I  shall  consider,  and  I  expect 
great  assistance  from  you.  The  only  restrictions  that  I  would  suggest 
are  a  parsimoniousness  of  Scripture  quotations,  and  a  care  against  negli- 
gence in  the  dress  of  the  parts,  for,  after  all,  appearance  and  style  are 
more  than  matter ;  a  diamond  is  but  a  dirty  pebble  till  it  is  polished. 
Virgil  and  his  translator  Trap  only  differed  as  to  dress.  The  images, 
the  incident",  the  characters  are  the  same  in  both,  yet  the  one  is  the 
best  poem  in  the  Latin  language,  and  the  other  perhaps  the  worst  in 
the  English." 

TO    MRS.    BUXTOST. 

"  July  14,  1811. 

"  I  hope  to  take  a  long  walk  with ,  whose  company  is  a  great 

treat  to  me.  I  agree  with  you  that  he  is  a  striking  instance  of  the  su- 
periority of  a  domestic  religious  education.  To  be  sure,  to  please  my 
fancy,  1  should  like  a  more  robustious  son ;  but  I  should  be  most  happy 

to  insure  to  my  boy 's  principle,  and   I  would  willingly  resign  all 

those  sterner  and  more  manly  qualities  which  from  inclination  I  am  apt 
to  wish." 

Although,  during  his  term  of  probation  at  the  brewer)-,  he  was 
closely  occupied  iu  making  himself  master  of  his  new  vocation, 


26  THE  ACADEMICS.  [CHAP.  in. 

he  yet  found  time  for  the  study  of  English  literature,  and  espe- 
cially of  political  economy.  "  My  maxims  are,"  he  writes, 
"  never  to  begin  a  book  without  finishing  it ;  never  to  consider  it 
finished  till  I  know  it;  and  to  study  with  a  whole  mind."  He 
admitted,  in  after-life,  that  even  at  this  early  period  he  had  in- 
dulged a  distant  idea  of  entering  Parliament ;  and,  in  consequence 
of  tliis,  he  continued  to  practise  the  art  of  public  speaking  in  a 
debating  club  of  which  he  was  a  member. 

"  I  must  tell  you,"  he  writes  to  Mr.  North,  December,  1810,  "  of  a 
signal  reformation  which  has  taken  place.  I  have  become  again  a  hard 
reader,  and  of  sterling  books.  In  spite  of  your  marriage  cause,  I  hold 
myself  your  equal  in  Blackstone  and  in  Montesquieu,  and  your  superior 
in  Bacon,  parts  of  whom  I  have  read  with  Mallettian  avidity.  I  have 
not  been  much  at  '  The  Academics,'  but  it  goes  on  famously ;  your  me- 
mory is  held  in  the  highest  estimation — even  our  oracle  Twiss  speaks 
well  of  you.  Grant  and  Bowdler  are,  I  fear,  gone  from  us." 

His  former  schoolfellow,  Mr.  Horace  Twiss,  thus  describes 
meeting  him  at  this  time:  — 

"  We  had  been  at  school  together  at  the  celebrated  Dr.  Burney's,  of 
Greenwich,  and  were  very  intimate. 

"  Buxton  was  then,  as  in  after-life,  extraordinarily  tall,  and  was  called 
by  his  playfellows  '  Elephant  Buxton.'  He  was  at  that  time,  as  after- 
wards, like  the  animal  he  was  called  from,  of  a  kind  and  gentle  nature ; 
but  he  did  not  then  exhibit  any  symptoms  of  the  elephantine  talent  he 
afterwards  evinced. 

"  I  myself  very  often  did  his  Latin  lessons  for  him  ;  and,  as  he  was 
somewhat  older  and  much  bigger  than  I  was,  I  found  him,  in  many 
respects,  a  valuable  ally.  When  I  was  about  twenty,  I  became  a  mem- 
ber of  '  The  Academics,'  a  society  in  London  (like  the  '  Historical '  in 
Dublin,  and  the  'Speculative'  in  Edinburgh),  where  the  topics  of  the 
day  were  debated.  There  I  heard,  on  my  first  or  second  evening  of 
attendance,  a  speech  of  great  ability  from  a  man  of  great  stature  :  and  I 
should  have  been  assured  it  was  my  old  schoolfellow  I  saw  before  me, 
but  that  I  could  not  suppose  it  possible  so  dull  a  boy  could  have  become 
so  clever  a  man.  He  it  was,  however;  and  I  renewed  my  friendly  in- 
tercourse with  him,  both  at  the  society  and  in  private. 

"  Our  c/ntms  were-  poor  North,  afterwards  distinguished  in  Par- 
liament and  at  the  Irish  bar,  who  died  at  between  forty  and  fifty; 
and  Henry,  the  younger  son  of  the  great  Grattan.  We  afterwards 
sat  all  together  in  the  House  of  Commons,  with  some  others  of  our  fel- 


1810-]  WILLIAM  ALLEN.  27 

low-academic*,  the  two  Grants  and  Spring  Rice.  Horner  had  been  an 
academic,  but  he  was  before  our  time.  Of  late  years,  Buxton  was 
chiefly  resident  in  Norfolk,  but  our  mutual  goodwill  continued  to  the 
last." 

From  childhood  the  duty  of  active  benevolence  had  been  im- 
pressed on  him  by  his  mother,  who  used  to  set  before  him  the 
idea  of  taking  up  some  great  cause  by  which  he  might  promote 
the  happiness  of  man.  On  beginning  to  live  in  London  he  at 
once  sought  opportunities  of  usefulness,  and  in  this  pursuit  he 
received  great  assistance  from  an  acquaintance,  which  ripened 
into  friendship,  with  the  Quaker  philosopher  and  philanthropist, 
William  Allen.  This  good  man  had  long  been  engaged  upon 
objects  of  enlightened  benevolence,  and  by  him  Mr.  Buxton  was 
from  time  to  time  initiated  into  some  of  those  questions  to  which 
his  after-life  was  devoted. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  these  had  already  dawned  upon 
him.  He  writes  to  Mrs.  Buxton,  Dec.  1808: — 

"I  have  one  reason  for  wishing  to  remain  in  town,  which  is,  that  I 
am  going  to  become  a  member  of  a  small  society,  now  instituting,  for  the 
purpose  of  calling  the  public  mind  to  the  bad  effects  and  inefficiency  of 
capital  punishments." 

And  at  a  subsequent  period  he  says — 

"  From  the  time  of  my  connexion  with  the  Brewery  in  1808  to  1816, 
I  took  a  part  in  all  the  charitable  objects  of  that  distressed  district,  more 
especially  those  connected  with  education,  the  Bible  Society,  and  the 
deep  sufferings  of  the  weavers." 

All  these  labours  he  shared  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
Samuel  Hoare,  of  Hampstead,  between  whom  and  himself  there 
existed  then,  and  through  life,  a  friendship  and  close  fellowship, 
far  beyond  what  usually  results  from  such  a  connexion.  With 
them  was  also  linked  his  own  brother  Charles,  who  was  resident 
in  London,  and  was.  the  favourite  companion  of  both. 

Although  Mr.  Buxton  was  a  member  of  the  Established 
Church,  circumstances  had  cherished  in  him  a  strong  attachment 
to  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  to  their  silent  mode  of  worship. 
He  frequently  spent  the  Sunday  under  the  roof  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fry,  at  Plashet  in  Essex ;  and  even  when  at  home,  from  the 
time  of  his  marriage  up  to  the  year  1811,  he  generally  attended 


28  CORRESPONDENCE.  [CHAP.  in. 

a  Friends'  Meeting.  In  a  letter  written  on  Sunday,  Oct.  22nd, 
1809,  he  mentions  that  he  had  been  reading  the  fifth  chapter  of 
St.  Matthew,  "as  a  subject  for  reflection  at  Meeting,"  and 
adds, — 

"  I  think  I  almost  always  have  a  good  meeting  when  I  read  before  it, 
without  any  intermediate  occupation  of  mind.  It  was  a  great  pleasure 
to  me  to  be  able  to  engage  myself  so  thoroughly  when  there,  as  I  had 
begun  to  think  that  I  was  rather  going  back  in  that  respect.  The  verse 
that  principally  led  me  on  to  a  train  of  thought  was  that  '  Except  your 
righteousness  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye 
shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.'  This  text  is  always 
very  striking  to  me.  It  is  so  serious  a  thing  to  be  only  on  a  par  with  the 
generality  of  those  you  see  around  you.  This  evening  I  have  been 
thinking  what  I  can  do  for  the  poor  this  winter.  I  feel  that  I  have  as 
yet  done  far  short  of  what  I  ought  and  what  I  wish  to  do." 

TO   MRS.   BUXTON. 

"  September  23,  1810. 

"  I  have  passed  a  very  quiet  and  industrious  week,  up  early,  breakfast 
at  eight  o'clock,  dinner  near  six,  and  the  evenings  to  myself,  which  have 
iji'cn  well  employed  over  my  favourite  Blackstone.  I  read  him  till  near 
ten  last  night,  and  then  Jeremy  Taylor  till  past  eleven,  and  could  hardly 
give  him  up,  he  was  so  very  entertaining  a  companion.  *  *  * 
This  morning'I  went  to  Gracechurch  Street  meeting.  I  was  rather  late, 
which  made  me  feel  hurried,  and  prevented  my  having  sufficient  time  to 
myself  before  meeting:  however,  I  had  made  a  little  use  of  my  friend 
Jeremy  at  breakfast,  and  this  and  last  night's  readings  gave  me  occupa- 
tion for  my  thoughts.  I  saw  William  Allen,  who  wants  me  to  call  upon 
him  to-morrow,  as  he  says  he  has  found  a  place  for  the  boys'  school  as 
suitable  as  if  we  were  to  build  one.  This,  1  know,  will  please  you,  but 
will  alarm  you  also,  lest  we  should  forget  the  girls. 

"  And  now  you  will  expect  to  hear  something  about  my  return.  I 
must  tell  you  that  you  cannot  be  in  a  greater  hurry  for  me  to  come  to 
Earlham  than  I  am  to  get  there ;  for  I  do  not  think  I  have  lately 
onjiij,  cil  anything  so  much  as  the  time  I  spent  there,  and  I  hold  it  to  be 
quite  a  treasure  and  a  blessing  to  have  such  brothers  and  sisters ;  I  hope 
and  believe,  too,  that  it  may  be  as  useful  as  it  is  agreeable.  Still  I  do 
not  ft-el  altogether  confident  that  the  stimulus  which  they  have  given  me 
will  lx>  of  any  duration;  for  it  is  not  inducements  to  do  our  duty  that  we 
«<•  luivc  already  in  abundance.  They  are,  indeed,  so  many 
and  so  various,  that,  if  we  were  only  as  prudent  and  as  rational  with  re- 


1811.]          DEATH  OF  EDWARD  BUXTON.  29 

gard  to  our  future,  as  we  are  to  our  present,  none  would  utterly  want 
religion  but  those  who  utterly  wanted  sense." 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  Mr.  Buxton  was  the  eldest  of  three 
sons.  Edward  North,  the  third  brother,  a  wayward  lad,  had 
been  sent  to  sea  as  a  midshipman  in  an  East  Indiaman,  com- 
manded by  his  relative  Captain  Dumbleton  ;  but  in  his  first 
voyage  he  left  his  ship  and  entered  the  king's  service.  From 
that  time  his  family  had  received  no  tidings  of  him,  and  by  de- 
grees they  became  impressed  with  the  painful  conviction  that  he 
had  died  at  sea.  The  suspense  of  five  years  was  at  last  brought 
to  an  end  by  the  arrival  of  a  letter  to  Mr.  Buxton  from  one  of 
his  brother's  shipmates,  announcing  that  he  had  arrived,  in  a 
dying  state,  at  Gosport,  and  was  earnestly  desirous  to  see  some 
of  his  relations.  He  had  been  attacked  by  dysentery  while  on 
board  ship  at  Bombay ;  and,  feeling  that  his  days  were  num- 
bered, he  became  intensely  anxious  to  reach  home  once  more. 

Te  hastened  to  England  in  the  first  ship  by  which  he  could 
obtain  a  passage ;  and,  on  his  arrival  at  Gosport,  was  carried  to 
Haslar  Hospital,  whence  he  despatched  a  letter  to  his  mother. 
This  letter  was  unfortunately  delayed,  in  consequence  of  its 
laving  been  directed  to  the  house  at  Earl's  Colne,  which  had 
)een  parted  with  some  years  before,  and  the  unhappy  youth — he 
was  only  nineteen — in  the  morbid  state  of  his  feelings,  became  so 
strongly  impressed  by  a  sense  of  his  neglect  in  never  having 
communicated  with  his  friends,  that  he  felt  persuaded  they  would 
low  refuse  to  acknowledge  him.  A  second  letter,  in  which  he 
)esou£jht  that  some  one  of  the  family  would  consent  to  visit  him 
on  his  death-bed,  reached  Mr.  Buxton,  and  in  two  hours  he  and 

lis  brother  Charles  were  on  the  road  to  Gosport,  which  they 
ached  on  the  following  morning.     With  mingled  emotions  of 
lope  and  fear  they  set  out  for  the  hospital.    Having  been  directed 
a  large  ward  full  of  the  sick  and  dying,  they  walked  through 
the  room    without  being   able  to  discover  the  object  of  their 
irch  ;  till  at  length  they  were  struck  by  the  earnestness  with 

finch  an  emaciated  youth  upon  one  of  the  sick-beds  was  gazing 
at  them.  On  their  approaching  his  bedside,  although  he  could 
scarcely  articulate  a  word,  his  face  was  lit  up  with  an  expression 
of  delight  that  sufficiently  showed  that  he  recognised  them  :  but 


30  DEATH  OF  EDWARD  BUXTON.  [CHAP.  in. 

it  was  not  for  some  moments  that  they  could  trace  in  his  haggard 
features  the  lineaments  of  their  long-lost  brother. 
A  few  days  afterwards  Mr.  Buxton  writes — 

"  Gosport,  August  10,  1811. 

11  It  is  pleasant  to  be  with  Edward,  he  seems  so  happy  in  the  idea  of 
having  his  friends  about  him.  This  morning  I  thought  him  strong 
enough  to  hear  part  of  a  chapter  in  St.  Luke  on  prayer,  and  the  20th 
Psalm.  Charles  then  went  away,  and  I  mentioned  to  him  how  appli- 
cable some  of  the  passages  were  to  his  state ;  he  said  he  felt  them  so, 
and  that  he  had  been  very  unfortunate  in  having  been  on  board  ship 
where  religion  is  so  neglected;  that  he  had  procured  a  Bible,  and  one 
of  his  friends  had  sometimes  read  to  him,  but  not  so  often  as  he  wished. 
That  he  had  hoped  and  prayed  that  he  might  reach  England,  more  that 
he  might  confess  his  sins  to  me  than  for  any  other  reason ;  that,  suppos- 
ing at  length  that  there  was  next  to  no  chance  of  this,  he  had  dictated  a 
letter  to  me  upon  the  subject,  which  is  now  in  his  box.  When  I  told 
him,  that,  as  his  illness  had  brought  him  into  such  a  frame  of  mind,  it 
was  impossible  for  me  to  regret  it,  let  the  event  be  what  it  would,  he 
said  he  considered  it  as  a  mercy  now,  but  that  nobody  could  tell  what 
his  sufferings  had  been.  I  then  entered  into  a  kind  of  short  history  of 
what  I  considered  to  be  inculcated  in  the  Testament,  '  that  Christ  came 
to  call  sinners  to  repentance.'  He  felt  consolation  from  this  ;  but  again 
said  that  he  had  been  indeed  a  sinner.  I  then  told  him  that  I  hoped 
he  did  not  ever  omit  to  pray  for  assistance,  and  I  added  that  Charles  and 
I  had  joined  in  prayer  for  him  last  night.  He  seemed  so  much  affected 
by  this  that  I  did  not  think  it  right  to  press  the  conversation  farther. 
Does  not  all  this  furnish  a  striking  proof  how  our  sorrows  may  be  con- 
verted into  joys  ?  I  can  look  upon  his  illness  in  no  other  light  than  as 
a  most  merciful  dispensation.  It  is  most  affectingly  delightful  to  see  his 
lowliness  of  mind,  and  his  gratitude  to  all  of  us.  I  cannot  help  thinking 
that  his  mind  is  more  changed  than  his  body." 

The  letter  above  referred  to,  which  was  found  in  Edward 
Buxton's  sea  chest,  was  as  follows : — 

'   "H.  M.  S.  '  Chiiionne.' 

"  My  dearest  Brother, — As  this  is  the  last  letter  you  will  ever 
receive  from  me,  as  I  am  now  on  my  death-bed,  I  write  to  you  to  com- 
fort as  much  as  you  can  my  dearest  mother  and  my  dearest  brother  and 
sisters.  As  I  have  been  sick  and  in  misery  a  very  long  while,  it  will  be 
caM!iLr  me  taking  me  from  this  troublesome  world.  I  was  on  my  \ 
to  Europe,  as  only  a  cold  climate  could  have  cured  me  ;  but  God,  whose 
will  be  done,  has  ordained  that  I  should  not  see  England,  though  I 


1811.]  DEATH  OF  EDWARD  BUXTON.  31 

should  have  died  infinitely  happier  had  I  seen  my  dearest  mother,  Anna, 
and  you,  to  have  got  your  forgiveness  for  the  irregularities  I  have  carried 
on  ;  yet  I  feel  you  forgive  me ;  and  though  I  have  been  a  very  great 
sinner  for  the  small  number  of  years  I  have  lived,  I  die  with  the  hope 
of  being  saved,  by  what  I  had  been  led  to  believe,  and  now  wish  I  had 
much  more  followed,  through  Jesus  Chiist. 

11  Don't  let  the  news  of  my  death  cast  any  of  you  down,  as  we  all 
know  it  is  a  thing  we  must  all  come  to  ;  and  as  you  are  the  eldest  and 
sup[H>rt  of  the  family,  comfort  the  rest  as  much  as  you  can,  not  forget- 
ting to  remember  me  to  your  dear  wife.  I  have  often  thought  of  her 
kindness  to  me  at  Norwich  before  your  marriage.  And  don't  forget 
poor  Abraham  Plastow  and  Betty ;  tell  them  I  thought  of  them  in 
my  last. 

"  I  can't  say  any  more.  The  bearer  of  this,  Mr.  Yeates,  is  a  truly 
good-hearted  young  man,  and  has  been  extremely  kind  to  me  while  I 
have  been  sick,  and  while  I  was  in  the  Bombay  hospital.  He  will  give 
you  my  pay  and  prize  certificate,  which  you  can  get  paid  for  at  Somerset 
House  ;  and  any  other  information  concerning  me  you  want,  as  I  am  too 
weak  to  write  more.  Adieu  to  you  all. 

"  EDWARD  N.  BUXTON." 

For  about  a  fortnight  after  his  brothers  reached  him  the  youno- 
midshipman  survived.  He  had  the  comfort,  so  earnestly  desired, 
of  being  nursed  by  his  mother  and  of  seeing  once  more  his  whole 
family. 

"  When  he  was  told  by  Charles  that  I  was  come,"  writes  his  eldest 
sister,  "  he  clasped  his  hands  and  gave  thanks,  but  desired  not  to  see  me 
till  he  was  composed;  a  tear  or  two  that  appeared  he  wiped  off  with  his 
arm.  He  is  so  reduced  and  altered  that  I  should  not  have  had  the  least 
idea  that  it  was  he :  neither  in  his  hair,  eyes,  nor  voice  can  you  trace  a 
resemblance.  He  looks  the  skeleton  of  a  fine  young  man,  handsomer 
than  Edward  was,  as  tall  as  his  brothers,  and  of  a  dark  complexion.  He 
has  had  much  satisfactory  conversation  with  Fowell,  lamenting  that  he 
had  not  followed  his  advice,  and  expressing  that  he  had  been  enabled  to 
pray  much  in  coming  over.  Fowell  read  to  him  in  the  Bible  yesterday. 
He  was  much  affected,  but  comforted  by  it,  saying  he  did  not  deserve 
to  be  so  attended  by  his  friends  ;  and  to-day  he  said  to  my  mother  that 
it  was  a  sign  to  him  that  he  was  partly  forgiven,  that  his  prayers  were 
heard  to  see  his  friends  again,  and  obtain  their  forgiveness.  His  mind 
is  remarkably  clear;  indeed  Fowell  seemed  not  to  know  before  how 
strong  it  was,  or  what  serious  feelings  he  had." 

Edward  North  Buxton  died  at  Haslar  Hospital  on  the  25th  of 


32  EXERTIONS  IN  THE  BREWERY.  [CHAP.  in. 

August,  1811.  His  last  words  were  addressed  to  his  mother, 
saying  that  he  was  prepared  for  death  ;  that  the  prospect  of  it  did 
not  appear  now  to  him  what  it  had  done  formerly ;  adding,  with 
a  remarkable  expression  of  countenance,  that  "  he  hoped  God 
would  soon  be  so  very  kind  as  to  take  him." 

His  sister  Sarah,  in  describing  the  solemn,  and  yet  peaceful, 
meeting  round  the  death-bed  of  the  returned  wanderer,  thus 
mentions  her  eldest  brother : — "  Fowell,  the  head  of  our  family, 
is  a  strong  support ;  and  when  religious  consolation  was  so  much 
wanted,  he  seemed  most  ready  to  afford  it.  The  power  of  his 
influence  we  deeply  felt :  it  was  by  far  the  most  striking  feature 
in  the  past  remarkable  month." 

In  1811  Mr.  Buxton  was  admitted  as  a  partner  in  the 
brewery ;  and  during  the  ensuing  seven  years  he  was  almost 
exclusively  devoted  to  his  business.  Soon  after  his  admission, 
his  senior  partners,  struck  by  his  energy  and  force  of  mind, 
placed  in  his  hands  the  difficult  and  responsible  task  of  remodel- 
ling their  whole  system  of  management.  It  would  be  superfluous 
to  enter  into  the  details  of  his  proceedings,  though,  perhaps,  he 
never  displayed  greater  vigour  and  firmness  than  in  carrying 
through  this  undertaking.  For  two  or  three  years  he  was 
occupied  from  morning  till  night  in  prosecuting,  step  by  step, 
his  plans  of  reform :  a  single  example  may  indicate  with  what 
spirit  he  grappled  M'ith  the  difficulties  that  beset  him  on  all 
sides. 

One  of  the  principal  clerks  was  an  honest  man.  and  a  valuable 
servant ;  but  he  was  wedded  to  the  old  system,  and  viewed  with 
great  antipathy  the  young  partner's  proposed  innovations.  At 
length,  on  one  occasion,  he  went  so  far  as  to  thwart  Mr.  Bnx- 
ton's  plans.  The  latter  took  no  notice  of  this  at  the  time, 
except  desiring  him  to  attend  in  the  counting-house  at  6  o'clock 
the  next  morning.  Mr.  Buxton  met  him  there  at  the  appointed 
hour;  and,  without  any  expostulation,  or  a  single  angry  word, 
desired  him  to  produce  his  books,  as  he  meant  for  the  future  to 
undertake  the  charge  of  them  himself,  in  addition  to  his  other 
duties.  Amazed  at  this  unexpected  decision,  the  clerk  yielded 
entirely;  he  promised  complete  submission  for  the  future;  lie 
made  his  wife  intercede  for  him  ;  and  Mr.  Buxton,  who  valued 
his  character  and  services,  was  induced  to  restore  him  to  his 


181  l.J  EXERTIONS  IN  THE  BREWERY.  33 

place.  They  afterwards  became  very  good  friends,  and  the 
salutary  effect  of  the  changes  introduced  by  Mr.  Buxton  was  at 
length  admitted  by  his  leading  opponent ;  nor,  except  in  one 
instance,  did  he  ever  contend  against  them  again.  On  that 
occasion  Mr.  Buxton  merely  sent  him  a  message  "  that  he  had 
better  meet  him  in  the  counting-house  at  6  o'clock  the  next 
morning," — and  the  book-keeper's  opposition  was  heard  of  no 
more. 

We  may  add,  that,  among  other  points  wanting  reform,  he 
found  that  the  men  employed  were  in  many  instances  wholly 
uneducated.  To  the  remedy  of  this  evil  he  took  a  more  direct 
road  than  exhortation  or  advice.  He  called  them  together,  and 
simply  said  to  them,  "This  day  six  weeks  I  shall  discharge 
every  man  who  cannot  read  and  write."  He  provided  them  a 
schoolmaster  and  means  of  learning,  and  on  the  appointed  day 
held  an  examination.  Such  had  been  the  earnestness  to  learn, 
that  not  one  man  was  dismissed. 

He  was  also  very  careful  to  prevent  any  work  from  being 
done  in  the  brewery  on  the  Sunday,  and  the  strict  observance  of 
it  which  he  introduced  has  been  thoroughly  maintained  up  to 
the  present  time. 

The  success  which  crowned  Mr.  Buxton's  exertions  in  business 
materially  paved  his  way  to  public  life.  He  was  gradually 
relieved  from  the  necessity  of  attending  in  person  to  the  details 
of  its  management,  although  he  continued  throughout  his  life  to 
take  a  part  in  the  general  superintendence  of  the  concern. 


34  FIRST  SPEECH  IN  PUBLIC.  [CHAP.  iv. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

1812—1816. 

First  Speech  in  Public  —  The  Rev.  Josiah  Pratt  —  Increasing  regard  to 
Religion  —  Dangerous  Illness  —  Its  Effect  on  his  Mind, —  Removes  to 
Hampstead  —  Disappointments  and  Anxieties  —  Reflections  —  Narrow 
Escape  —  Letter  to  Mr.  J.  J.  Gnrney. 

MR.  Buxro'N  was,  of  course,  closely  bound  to  his  London  avo- 
cations ;  but  almost  every  autumn  he  spent  some  weeks  at  Earl- 
ham,  enjoying  the  recreation  of  shooting,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Samuel  Hoare.  It  was  during  one  of  these  visits  that  he  first 
addressed  a  public  meeting.  His  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Joseph 
John  Gurney,  in  September,  1812,  insisted  that  for  once  he 
should  leave  his  sport,  and  give  his  aid  in  the  second  meeting  of 
the  Norwich  Auxiliary  Bible  Society,  at  which  Mr.  Coke  and 
other  county  gentlemen  were  present. 

His  speech  on  that  occasion  is  thus  alluded  to  by  Mr.  J.  J. 
Gurney*  : — 

"  There  are  many  who  can  still  remember  the  remarkable  effect  pro- 
duced, in  one  of  the  earliest  public  meetings  of  the  Norfolk  and  Nor- 
wich Auxiliary  Bible  Society,  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  by  one  of  his 
speeches,  distinguished  for  its  acutencss  and  good  sense,  as  well  as  for 
the  Christian  temper  in  which  it  was  delivered.  His  commanding  per- 
son, f  his  benevolent  and  highly  intellectual  expression  of  countenance, 
his  full-toned  voice,  together  with  his  manly  yet  playful  eloquence, 
electrified  the  assembly,  and  many  were  those  on  that  day  who  rejoiced 
that  so  noble  and  just  a  cause  had  obtained  so  strenuous  and  able  an 
advocate." 

Some  indications  have  been  already  given  of  the  increasing 
power  of  religious  principle  in  Mr.  Buxton's  mind ;  but  he  had 

*  '  Brief  Memoir.'  Fletcher,  1845. 

t  Mr.  Buxton  was  upwards  of  six  feet  four  inches  in  height;  but  his 
powerful  frame  and  broad  chest  rendered  his  height  less  apparent. 


1812.]  THE  REV.  JOSIAH  PRATT.  35 

not  yet  been  fully  brought  under  its  influence,  nor  had  he  acquired 
clear  views  as  to  some  of  the  fundamental  truths  of  Christianity. 
In  1811  he  mentions  that  during  a  visit  to  Lynn  he  had  met 
his  friends  the  Rev.  Edward  Edwards  and  the  Rev.  Robert 
Hankinson,  who  recommended  him  to  attend  the  ministry  of  the 
Rev.  Josiah  Pratt,  in  Wheeler  Street  Chapel,  Spitalfields ;  and 
to  the  preaching  of  that  excellent  clergyman  he  attributed,  with 
the  liveliest  gratitude,  his  first  real  acquaintance  with  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity.  lie  himself  says — "  It  was  much  and  of  vast 
moment  that  I  there  learned  from  Mr.  Pratt." — lie  wrote  to  Mr. 
Pratt  thirty  years  afterwards,  "  Whatever  I  have  done  in  my  life 
for  Africa,  the  seeds  of  it  were  sown  in  my  heart  in  Wheeler 
Street  Chapel." 

With  him,  indeed,  there  was  no  sudden  change,  as  in  many 
men  of  well-known  piety.  Both  nature  and  education  had 
tended  to  prepare  him  for  religion.  His  mind,  ever  disposed 
(in  Bacon's  words)  to  "  prefer  things  of  substance  before  things 
of  show" — with  a  strong  love  for  truth,  and  susceptible  of  deep 
feeling — afforded,  perhaps,  a  fit  soil  for  the  reception  of  those 
truths,  which  at  length  struck  deep  root  there.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  regarded  his  tendency  to  become  wholly  absorbed  in 
the  work  before  him  as  a  great  bar  to  his  progress  in  higher 
things.  Thus  he  writes  to  one  of  his  relatives  at  Earlham  :  — 

"  Hampstead,  March  21,  1812. 

"  I  had  determined,  before  I  received  your  last  letter,  to  thank  you, 

dear  C ,  myself,  for  much  pleasure,  and  I  think  a  little  profit  (much 

less  than  it  ought  to  have  been),  in  observing  the  progress  of  your 
mind.  It  docs  indeed  give  me  real  joy  to  see  you  and  others  of  your 
family  striving  in  your  race  with  such  full  purpose  of  heart ;  and  the 
further  I  feel  left  behind — the  more  I  feel  engaged  in  other  pursuits — 
so  much  the  more  I  admire  and  love  the  excellence  which  I  hardly 
endeavour  to  reach,  and  so  much  the  more  I  perceive  the  infinite  supe- 
riority of  your  objects  over  mine. 

"  When  I  contrast  your  pursuits  with  my  pursuits,  and  your  life  with 
my  life,  I  always  feel  the  comparison  a  wholesome  and  a  humiliating 
lesson,  and  it  makes  me  see  the  ends  for  which  I  labour  in  their  proper 
light ;  and  my  heart  is  ready  to  confess,  that  '  Thou  hast  chosen  the 
good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  from  thee.'  How  is  it,  then,  with 
this  contrast  constantly  staring  me  in  the  face  whenever  I  think  se- 
riously, that  it  has  no  effect,  or  next  to  none,  on  my  practice  ?  I  see  the 

D  2 


36  INCREASING  REGARD  TO  RELIGION.        [CHAP.  iv. 

excellence  of  the  walk  you  have  chosen,  and  the  madness  of  dedicating 
myself  to  anything  but  to  the  preparation  of  that  journey  which  I  must 
so  shortly  take.  I  know  that  if  success  shall  crown  all  my  projects, 
I  shall  gain  that  which  will  never  satisfy  me,  '  that  which  is  not  bread.' 
I  know  the  poverty  of  our  most  darling  schemes — the  meanness  of  our 
most  delicious  prospects — the  transitoriness  of  our  most  durable  posses- 
sions— when  weighed  against  that  fulness  of  joy  and  eternity  of  bliss 
which  are  the  reward  of  those  who  seek  them  aright.  All  this  I  see 
with  the  utmost  certainty — that  two  and  two  make  four  is  not  clearer ; 
how  is  it,  then,  that  with  these  speculative  opinions,  my  practical  ones 
are  so  entirely  different  ?  I  am  irritable  about  trifles,  eager  after  plea- 
sures, and  anxious  about  business  :  various  objects  of  this  kind  engross 
mv  attention  at  all  times  :  they  pursue  me  even  to  Meeting  and  to 
Church,  and  seem  to  grudge  the  few  moments  which  are  devoted  to 
higher  considerations,  and  strive  to  bring  back  to  the  temple  of  the  Lord 
the  sellers,  and  the  buyers,  and  the  money-changers.  My  reason  tells 
me  that  these  things  are  utterly  indifferent;  but  my  practice  says 
that  they  only  are  worthy  of  thought  and  attention.  My  practice  says, 
'  Thou  art  increased  with  goods,  and  hast  need  of  nothing ;'  but  my 
reason  teaches  me,  '  Thou  art  wretched  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and 
blind,  and  naked.' 

.    ..."  I  have  in  this  letter  divulged  the  train  of  thinking  which 

is  constantly  recurring  to  my  mind If  I  have  said  too  much 

in  any  part  of  it,  I  am  sure  I  do  not  go  beyond  the  truth  in  saying,  that 
hardly  anything  comes  so  near  my  heart  as  my  love  for  my  sweet  sisters." 

The  period  had  now  arrived  from  which  may  be  dated  that 
ascendency  of  religion  over  his  mind  which  gave  shape  and 
colouring  to  the  whole  of  his  after  life. 

In  the  commencement  of  the  year  1813  he  was  visited  by  an 
illness  which  brought  him  to  the  brink  of  the  grave.  How 
momentous  an  era  he  felt  this  to  have  been,  we  may  learn  from 
the  following  paper,  written  after  his  recovery  : — 

"February  7,  1813. 

"  After  so  severe  an  illness  as  that  with  which  I  have  lately  been  visited, 
it  may  be  advantageous  to  record  the  most  material  circumstances  at- 
tendant upon  it.  May  my  bodily  weakness,  and  the  suddenness  with 
which  it  came,  remind  me  of  the  uncertainty  of  life  ;  and  may  the  great 
and  immediate  mercy,  bestowed  upon  me  spiritually,  be  a  continual  me- 
morial that  '  the  Lord  is  full  of  compassion  and  long  suffering,'  and  '  a 
very  present  help  in  trouble!' 

"  I  was  seized  with  a  bilious  fever  in  January.  When  I  first  felt 
myself  unwell,  I  prayed  that  I  might  have  a  dangerous  illness,  provided 


1813.]  DANGEROUS  ILLNESS.  37 

that  illness  might  bring  me  nearer  to  my  God.  I  gradually  grew  worse  • 
and  when  the  disorder  had  assumed  an  appearance  very  alarming  to  those 
about  me,  I  spent  nearly  an  hour  in  most  fervent  prayer.  I  have  been, 
for  some  years,  perplexed  with  doubts  ;  I  do  not  know  if  they  did  not 
arise  more  from  the  fear  of  doubting  than  from  any  other  cause.  The 
object  of  my  prayer  was,  that  this  perplexity  might  be  removed ;  and 
the  next  day,  when  I  set  about  examining  my  mind,  I  found  that  it  was 
entirely  removed,  and  that  it  was  replaced  by  a  degree  of  certain  con- 
viction, totally  different  from  anything  I  had  before  experienced.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  express  the  satisfaction  and  joy  which  I  derived 
from  this  alteration.  '  Now  know  I  that  my  Redeemer  liveth '  was  the 
sentiment  uppermost  in  my  mind,  and  in  the  merits  of  that  Redeemer  I 
felt  a  confidence  that  made  me  look  on  the  prospect  of  death  with  j)er- 
fect  indifference.  No  one  action  of  my  life  presented  itself  with  any 
sort  of  consolation.  I  knew  that  by  myself  I  stood  justly  condemned  ; 
but  I  felt  released  from  the  penalties  of  sin  by  the  blood  of  our  sacrifice. 
In  Him  was  all  my  trust. 

"  My  dear  wife  gave  me  great  pleasure  by  repeating  this  text — '  This 
is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.'  Once  or  twice  only  I  felt  some 
doubt  whether  I  did  not  deceive  myself,  arguing  in  this  manner: — 
'  How  is  it  that  I,  who  have  passed  so  unguarded  a  life,  and  who  have 
to  lament  so  many  sins,  and  especially  so  much  carelessness  in  religion 
— how  is  it  that  I  feel  at  once  satisfied  and  secure  in  the  acceptance  of 
my  Saviour  ?'  But  I  soon  was  led  to  better  thoughts.  Canst  thou  pre- 
tend to  limit  the  mercies  of  the  Most  High  ?  '  His  thoughts  are  not  as 
our  thoughts,  nor  his  ways  as  our  ways.'  He  giveth  to  the  labourer  of 
an  hour  as  much  as  to  him  who  has  borne  the  heat  of  the  day.  These 
were  my  reflections,  and  they  made  me  easy." 

When  the  medical  gentleman  who  attended  him  observed  that 
he  must  be  in  low  spirits,  "  Very  far  from  it,"  he  replied :  "  I 
feel  a  joyfulness  at  heart  which  would  enable  me  to  go  through 
any  pain."  "  From  faith  in  Christ?"  he  was  asked.  "  Yes, 
from  faith  in  Christ "  was  his  reply  ;  and,  mentioning  the  clear 
view  he  now  had  of  Christ  being  his  Redeemer,  he  said,  "  It  is 
an  inexpressible  favour,  beyond  my  deserts.  What  have  I  done 
all  my  life  long?  Nothing,  nothing,  that  did  God  service,  and 
for  me  to  have  such  mercy  shown  !  My  hope,"  he  added,  "  is 
to  be  received  as  one  of  Christ's  flock,  to  enter  heaven  as  a  little 
child."  A  day  or  two  afterwards  he  said,  "  I  shall  never  again 
pass  negligently  over  that  passage  in  the  Prayer  Book,  '  We 


38  ITS  EFFECT  ON  HIS  MIND.  [CHAP.  iv. 

bless  thee  .  .  .  for  tliiffe  inestimable  love  in  the  redemption 
of  the  world  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;'"  and  he  broke  forth 
into  thanksgiving  for  the  mercy,  "  the  unbounded,  the  unmerited 
love,"  displayed  towards  him,  in  having  the  Christian  doctrine 
brought  home  to  his  heart.  When  Mr.  S.  Hoare  entered  the 
room  where  he  lay,  Mr.  Buxton  fixed  his  eyes  upon  him  and  em- 
phatically said,  "  Sam  !  I  only  wish  you  were  as  ill  as  I  am  !" 
When  he  recovered,  he  explained  that  he  so  greatly  felt  the 
effect  upon  his  own  mind,  that  he  could  not  but  wish  his  com- 
panion to  share  in  the  advantage.  Again  and  again  he  declared 
how  glad  and  thankful  he  was  for  his  illness,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  how  anxious  he  felt  lest  the  impression  it  had  made  upon 
him  should  become  effaced. 

After  his  recovery  he  thus  writes  to  Earlham : — 

"  Perhaps  you  might  think  that  your  letters  were  not  sufficiently 
valued  by  me  if  they  remained  unnoticed  ;  they  were  both  truly  wel- 
come, especially  where  they  described  your  feelings  at  the  prospect  of 
the  termination  (I  earnestly  hope  only  the  earthly  termination)  of  our 
long  and  faithful  union.  My  wife  tells  me  that  she  said  in  her  letter 
that  I  mentioned  you  all  in  my  illness.  This  was  but  a  languid  de- 
scription of  the  extent  and  force  of  love  I  felt  towards  you,  and  of  gra- 
titude to  you,  to  whom  I  owe  so  great  a  portion  of  all  that  has  been 
pleasant  to  me  in  my  past  life,  and  perhaps  much  of  that  which  was 

consolatory  to  me  at  that  awful  but  happy  period.     C calls  it  a 

chastisement,  but  I  never  felt  it  as  such.  I  looked  upon  it  when  I  was 
at  the  worst  (and  have  not  yet  ceased  to  do  so)  as  a  gift,  and  a  blessing, 
and  the  choicest  of  my  possessions.  When  I  was  too  weak  to  move  or 
speak,  my  mind  and  heart  were  at  full  work  on  these  meditations,  and 
my  only  lamentation  was  that  I  could  not  feel  sufficiently  glad  or  grate- 
ful for  the  mercy,  as  unbounded  as  unmerited,  which  I  experienced. 
This  mercy  was,  to  know  the  sins  of  my  past  life,  that  the  best  actions 
of  it  were  but  dust  and  ashes,  and  good  for  nothing ;  that,  by  the 
righteous  doom  of  the  law,  I  stood  convicted  and  condemned  ;  but  that 
full  and  sufficient  satisfaction  had  already  been  made  by  Him  who  came 
to  save  sinners ;  and  such  was  the  case  and  confidence  with  which  this 
conviction  inspired  me,  that  death  was  not  attended  \\ith  a  terror." 

Fifteen  years  afterwards  *  he  thus  refers  to  the  impressions 
made  upon  his  mind  during  this  illness.  "  It  was  then,"  he 
says,  "that  some  clouds  in  my  mind  wore  dispersed  :  and  from 

*  Cromer,  1828. 


1813.]  BIBLE  SOCIETY.  39 

that  day  to  this,  whatever  reason  I  may  have  had  to  distrust  my 
own  salvation,  I  have  never  been  harassed  by  a  doubt  respecting 
our  revealed  religion."  As  his  health  and  strength  returned,  he 
engaged  with  increased  earnestness  in  supporting  various  bene- 
volent societies,  especially  the  Bible  Society ;  and  his  common- 
place books  during  the  years  1813 — 1816  are  chiefly  filled  with 
memoranda  on  this  subject.  He  came  prominently  forward  in 
the  controversy  between  the  supporters  of  the  Bible  Society  and 
those  who  united  with  Dr.  Marsh  *  in  opposing  it. 

These  occupations  filled  up  the  short  intervals  of  leisure 
afforded  by  his  close  attention  to  business ;  and  while  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  at  the  brewery  few  events  occurred  to  vary  his 
life.  Some  glimpses  into  the  state  of  his  mind  are  given  in  the 

following  letters : — 

"  Spitalfields,  December  25,  1813. 

"  *  *  *  I  have  often  observed  the  advantage  of  having  some 
fixed  settling  time  in  pecuniary  affairs.  It  gives  an  opportunity  of 
ascertaining  the  balance  of  losses  and  gains,  and  of  seeing  where  we 
have  succeeded  and  where  failed,  and  what  errors  or  neglects  have 
caused  the  failure. 

"  Now,  I  thought,  why  not  balance  the  mind  in  the  same  way — 
observe  our  progress,  and  trace  to  their  source  our  mistakes  and  over- 
sights ?  And  what  better  time  for  this  than  Christmas-day  followed 
by  Sunday  ?  And  what  better  employment  of  those  days  ?  So  it  was 
fixed  ;  and  consequently  I  refused  invitation  after  invitation — to  Upton, 
Doughty  Street,  Plashet,  Hampstead,  Coggeshall,  and  Clifton.  And 
now  for  a  history  of  my  day.  After  breakfast  I  read,  attentively,  the 
1st  of  St.  Peter,  with  some  degree  of  that  spirit  with  which  I  always 
wish  to  study  the  Scriptures.  To  me,  at  least,  the  Scriptures  are 
nothing  without  prayer ;  and  it  is  sometimes  surprising  to  me  what 
beauties  they  unfold,  how  much  even  of  worldly  wisdom  they  contain, 
and  how  they  are  stamped  with  the  clear  impression  of  truth,  when  read 
under  any  portion  of  this  influence  ;  and  without  it  how  unmoving  they 
appear. 

"  I  also  read  Cooper's  first  Practical  Sermon,  the  text — '  What  is  a 
man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ? ' 
This  is  a  subject  which,  of  all  others  of  the  kind,  most  frequently 
engages  my  thoughts.  *  Well,  I  went  to  church : 

we  had  one  of  Mr.  Pratt's  best  sermons,  and  I  stayed  the  Communion. 
I  could  not  but  feel  grateful  to  see  so  many  persons  who  at  least  had 

*  Afterwards  Bishop  of  Peterborough, 


40  REFLECTIONS  ON  CHRISTMAS  DAY.         [CHAP.  iv. 

some  serious  thoughts  of  religion — especially  that  Charles  and  his  wife 
were  of  the  number,  and  I  may  'add,  that  I  was  also.  I  am  not  so 
ignorant  of  myself  as  to  think  that  I  have  made  any  suitable  advances. 
No.  Every  day's  experience  is  a  sufficient  antidote  against  any  such 
flattering  delusion ;  for  every  day  I  see,  and  have  reason  to  condemn, 
the  folly,  the  insanity  which  immerses  me — the  whole  of  my  mind  and 
powers — in  so  trifling  a  portion  of  their  interest  as  this  world  contains. 
But  yet  I  feel  it  an  inestimable  blessing  to  have  been  conducted  to  the 
precincts  and  the  threshold  of  truth,  and  to  have  some  desires,  vague 
and  ineffectual  as  they  are,  after  better  things. 

"  In  the  evening  I  sat  down,  in  a  business-like  manner,  to  my  mental 
account.  In  casting  up  the  incidental  blessings  of  the  year,  I  found 
none  to  compare  with  my  illness :  it  gave  such  a  life,  such  a  reality  and 
nearness,  to  my  prospects  of  futurity ;  it  told  me,  in  language  so  con- 
clusive and  intelligible,  that  here  is  not  my  abiding  city.  It  expounded 
so  powerfully  the  Scriptural  doctrine  of  Atonement,  by  showing  what 
the  award  of  my  fate  must  be,  if  it  depended  upon  my  own  merits,  and 
what  that  love  is  which  offers  to  avert  condemnation  by  the  merits  of 
another :  in  short,  my  sickness  has  been  a  source  of  happiness  to  me  in 
every  way." 

In  the  autumn  of  the  following  year  he  again  alludes  to  that 
"  one  religious  subject  which  most  frequently  engaged  his 
thoughts."  After  speaking  of  the  death  of  his  early  friend, 
John  Gurney,  as  "  a  loss  hardly  admitting  of  consolation,"  he 
adds, — 

"  But  it  is  surely  from  the  shortness  of  our  vision  that  we  dwell  so 
frequently  on  the  loss  of  those  who  are  dear  to  us.  Are  they  gone  to 
a  better  home  ?  Shall  we  follow  them  ?  These  are  questions  of 
millions  and  millions  of  centuries.  The  former  is  but  a  question  of  a 
few  years.  When  I  converse  with  these  considerations,  I  cannot 
express  what  I  think  of  the  stupendous  folly  of  myself  and  the  rest  of 
mankind.  If  the  case  could  be  so  transposed,  that  our  worldly  busi- 
nesses and  pleasures  were  to  last  for  ever,  and  our  religion  were  to 
produce  effects  only  for  a  few  years,  then,  indeed,  our,  at  least  my, 
dedication  of  heart  to  present  concerns  would  be  reasonable  and 
prudent;  then  I  might  justify  the  many  hours  and  anxious  thoughts 
devoted  to  the  former,  and  might  say  to  the  latter,  '  The  few  inter- 
rupted moments  and  wandering,  unfixed  thoughts  I  spare  you,  are  as 
much  as  your  transitory  nature  deserves.'  *  *  Alas ! 

alas !  how  is  it  that  as  children  of  this  world  we  are  wiser  than  as 
children  of  light  ?  " 


1815.]  DISAPPOINTMENTS  AND  ANXIETIES.  41 

In  the  summer  of  the  year  1815  he  removed  from  London  to 
a  house  at  North  End,  Hampstead,  that  his  children,  now  four 
in  number,  might  have  the  benefit  of  country  air.  The  following 
extract  is  from  his  common-place  book  : — 

"  North  End,  Sunday,  August  6,  1815. 

"Being  too  unwell  to  go  to  church,  I  have  spent  the  morning  (with 
occasional  wanderings  in  the  fields)  in  reading  and  pondering  upon  the 
Bible ;  viz.  St.  James's  and  St.  John's  epistles.  How  much  sound 
wisdom  and  practical  piety  in  the  first,  how  devout  and  holy  a  spirit 
breathes  through  the  second  ! — the  one  exposing,  with  a  master's  hand, 
the  infirmities,  the  temptations,  and  the  delusions  of  man ;  the  other, 
evidencing  the  love  he  teaches,  seems  of  too  celestial  a  spirit  to  mingle 
much  with  human  affairs,  and  perpetually  reverts  to  the  source  of  his 
consolation  and  hope  :  with  him,  Christ  is  all  in  all,  the  sum  arid  sub- 
stance of  all  his  exhortations,  the  beginning  and  end  of  every  chapter. 

' '  I  now  sit  down  to  recall  some  marked  events  which  have  lately 
happened.  First  then,  Friday,  July  7th,  was  an  extraordinary  clay  to 
me.  In  the  morning  I  ascertained  that  all  the  hopes  we  had  indulged 
of  large  profits  in  business  were  false.  We  were  sadly  disappointed, 
for  I  went  to  town  in  the  morning  some  thousands  of  pounds  richer  in 
my  own  estimation  than  I  returned  at  night.  This  was  my  first  trial  ; 
next,  about  nine  o'clock,  a  dreadful  explosion  of  gunpowder  took  place 
in  a  house  adjacent  to  the  brewery ;  eight  lives  were  lost,  and  great 
damage  done.  For  a  long  time  it  seemed  beyond  hope  to  expect  to 
keep  the  fire  from  the  premises.  The  morning  changed  me  from 
affluence  to  competence,  and  the  evening  was  likely  to  have  converted 
competence  into  poverty. 

"  To  finish  all,  at  night  my  house  was  robbed.  This,  if  we  had 
heard  it,  might  have  seriously  alarmed  my  wife,  in  her  present  delicate 
state  of  health.  How  easily  can  I  bear  the  transitions  of  fortune,  and 
see  without  murmuring,  and  even  with  cheerfulness,  my  golden  hopes 
blighted  !  but '  bitter  indeed,  and  intimately  keen,'  would  any  wound  be 
that  affected  her.  I  have  often  repeated  these  lines  of  Shakspeare  : — 

'  Steep  me  in  poverty  to  the  very  lips, 

Give  to  captivity  me  and  my  utmost  hopes, 

I  still  can  find  in  some  part  of  my  soul 

A  drop  of  patience — 

But  there,  where  I  have  garner'd  up  my  heart,'  &c. 

"  On  the  following  Tuesday  I  went  to  Weymouth,  and  found  the 
affairs  of  a  friend,  in  whom  I  am  sincerely  interested,  in  a  very  bad 
state.  This  is  to  me  a  subject  of  much  anxiety  ;  but  on  my  return  home 
I  had  another  and  a  deeper  trial.  I  found  that  it  was  necessary  to  in- 


42  REFLECTIONS.  ^       [CHAP.  iv. 

vestigate 's  business,  which  seems  involved  in  much  difficulty. 

These  two  events  together  have  been  very  mortifying  to  me,  but  I  have 
endeavoured  to  meet  them  with  submissive  fortitude.  Yet  I  find  that  I 
can  suffer  my  own  misfortunes  with  comparative  indifference,  but  cannot 
sit  so  easily  under  the  misfortunes  of  those  that  are  near  to  me  ;  but  in 
this  I  hope  to  improve,  and  to  be  enabled  to  look  upon  trials,  in  what- 
ever form  they  appear,  as  visitations  from  the  merciful  hand  of  God. 
I  hope  my  late  uneasinesses  have  not  been  entirely  thrown  away  upon 
me.  They  have  brought  me  to  feel  the  poverty  and  unsteadfastness  of 
all  human  possessions,  and  to  look  upon  life  as  a  flower  that  falleth, 
while  the  grace  and  the  fashion  of  it  perisheth— as  a  vapour  that  ap- 
peareth  for  a  little  time,  and  then  vanisheth  away.  It  has  made  me  too 
(though  still  sadly  deficient)  more  earnest  and  more  frequent  in  my 
appeals  and  entreaties  to  God,  that  he  would  give  me  his  wisdom  to 
direct  me,  and  his  strength  to  support  me  ;  and,  above  all,  that  he  would 
emancipate  my  heart  from  the  shackles  of  the  flesh,  and  fix  my  hopes 
beyond  all  that  is  in  the  world, '  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye, 
and  the  pride  of  life.'  Turn  my  heart  to  thee,  O  Lord ;  make  me  to 
feel,  daily  and  hourly  to  feel,  as  well  as  know — to  act  upon  the  per- 
suasion, as  well  as  to  be  persuaded — that  only  in  thee  I  can  rest  in  peace, 
and  only  in  thy  service  I  can  act  with  wisdom." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON,  AT  EARLHAM. 

"Hampstead,  Sunday,  Oct.  29,  1815. 

*       *       *    u  j  have  all  the  week  set  my  mind  on  writing  to  you  to- 
day, but  this  is  not  the  only  temptation  that  operates  at  present,  for  if  I 

have  not  your  company  I  must  have 's,  who  is  in  the  next  room 

and  seems  very  desirous  of  improving  my  Sunday  by  edifying  converse 
on  shooting.  I  ,have  been  quite  comfortable  since  I  returned  to  town, 
found  things  in  tolerable  order,  and  have  been  as  busy  as  a  bee.  I  do 
not  know  when  I  have  had  so  many  things  of  some  importance  to 
manage,  or  when  I  have  spent  my  time  in  business  more  to  my  satisfac- 
tion. My  rnind  and  heart  have  been  instantly  engaged  in  it,  and  I  have 
thought  as  little  of  shooting,  since  I  returned  to  business,  as  I  did  of 
business  while  I  was  shooting.  I  know  you  would  not  like  the  unset  ile- 
ment  of  the  plan  I  have  in  my  head  ;  which  is,  after  a  few  years,  to  live 
somewhere  quiet  in  the  country,  and  go  to  town  for  one  week  in  a  month. 
I  think  that  with  strict,  unsparing  rules,  this  is  all  that  would  bo  nece.-- 
sary :  the  unscttlement  would  be  no  objection  to  me,  for  I  do  not  find 
that  change  from  one  employment  to  another  quite  different  produces  it ; 
and  I  fancy  that  I  could  brew  one  hour,  study  mathematics  the  next, 
shoot  the  third,  and  read  poetry  the  fourth,  without  allowing  any  one  of 


1815,  1816.]  REFLECTIONS.  43 

these  pursuits  to  interfere  with  the  others.  This  habit  of  full  engage- 
ment of  the  mind  lias  its  advantages  in  business  and  other  things,  but  is 
attended  with  this  serious  disadvantage,  that  it  immerses  the  mind  so 
fully  in  its  immediate  object,  that  there  is  no  room  for  thoughts  of 
higher  importance  and  more  real  moment  to  creep  in.  I  feel  this  con- 
tinually,— the  hours  and  hours  that  I  spend  in  utter  forgetfulness  of  that 
which  I  well  know  to  be  the  only  thing  of  importance.  How  very  great 
a  portion  of  one's  life  there  is,  in  which  one  might  as  well  be  a 
heathen ! " 

"  Spitalfields,  Nov.  1,  1815. 

"  I  went  this  evening  to  a  general  meeting  of  the  adult  school.  I  was 
very  much  interested  by  it,  and  made  a  speech,  which  was  received  with 
shouts,  nay,  roars  of  applause !  The  good  that  has  already  been  done 
is  quite  extraordinary  :  exclusive  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  who 
have  improved  in  reading,  eighty-nine,  who  did  not  know  their  letters, 
can  now  read  well.  We  had  five  exhibited,  and  their  performance  was 
grand ;  but  the  effect  upon  their  lives  is  still  better  than  on  their  lite- 
rature. Then  we  had  a  variety  of  fine  speeches.  I  do  not  much 
admire  meetings  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  but  the  tradesmen  speaking  to 
the  mechanics  is  a  treat  to  me  :  first,  it  is  so  entertaining  to  hear  them, 
such  sublimity,  such  grandeur,  such  superfine  images;  one  fine  fellow 
harvested  a  rich  crop  of  corn  off  a  majestic  oak,  and  the  simile  was 
received  with  a  burst  of  applause.  But  if  this  is  entertaining,  the  zeal 
and  warmth  with  which  they  speak  and  act  is  very  interesting ;  and  I 
really  prefer  their  blundering  heartiness  to  the  cool  and  chaste  per- 
formances of  more  erudite  orators." 

Writing  in  February,  1816,  after  being  engaged  at  a  distance 
from  home  in  settling  the  affairs  of  some  near  connexions — 

"  So  ends  my  history  ;  and  I  ought,  and  I  do  feel  thankful  that  cir- 
cumstances have  made  me  the  instrument  of  doing  some  good,  and 
communicating  so  much  pleasure  there.  I  found  them  all  sad,  and  I 
believe  they  each  felt  that  my  visit  had  been  a  kind  of  blessing.  So  far, 
so  good  ;  but  do  not  imagine  that  I  take  the  credit,  or  am  elated  at  my 
own  achievements.  I  have  felt  thankful  to  be  the  agent,  but  I  do  not 
forget  that  I  am  only  the  agent.  I  often  wonder  at  the  slow  progress  I 
have  made  of  late  years  in  religion,  but  in  this  one  respect  I  feel  differ- 
ent. I  see  the  hand  of  a  directing  Providence  in  the  events  of  life,  the 
lesser  as  well  as  the  greater;  and  this  is  of  great  importance  to  me,  for 
the  belief  that  your  actions,  if  attempted  aright,  are  guided  and  directed 
by  superior  wisdom,  is  to  me  one  of  the  greatest  inducements  to  prayer; 
and  I  do  think  that  the  little  trials  I  have  met  with  have  materially 
contributed  to  produce  with  me  a  habit  of  prayer." 


44  HIS  RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER,  [CHAP.  iv. 

Long  before  that  period,  to  which  he,  at  least,  referred  his 
first  real  acquaintance  with  the  truths  of  Christianity,  the  peculiar 
features  of  his  disposition  had  been  cast  in  strong  and  permanent 
relief;  and  the  religious  acts  of  his  mind  are  deeply  stamped  with 
the  fashion  of  its  native  character.  It  possessed  one  element  which 
beyond  all  others  gave  shape  to  the  development  of  his  religious 
principles.  This  was  his  power  of  realising  the  conceptions  of 
his  mind  and  imagination  with  scarcely  less  force  and  vividness 
than  that  which  realised  external  objects.  Thus  he  grasped  the 
idea  of  a  future  state,  not  "with  a  mere  passive  belief,  but  with  a 
strong  effective  conviction,  as  a  matter  of  fact  of  startling  plain- 
ness, and  which  gave  him  to  a  remarkable  degree  a  consciousness 
of  the  hollow  vanity  of  all  earthly  pleasures  and  interests.  But 
what  chiefly  marked  his  religious  character  was  the  absolute 
childlike  confidence  with  which  he  clung  to  the  guiding  hand  of 
his  heavenly  Father,  wherever  his  path  might  lie.  There  was,  in 
fact,  no  event  in  his  life  which  he  did  not  attribute  to  His 
immediate  direction.  "  I  do  not  want,"  he  said,  "  to  have 
religion  proved  to  me :  a  superintending  Providence  is  clear  to 
demonstration.  There  is  a  proof  of  it,"  holding  out  his  hand, 
and  showing  how  perfect  was  its  mechanism.  This  led  to  a  con- 
stant habit  of  communicating  his  cares  to  his  heavenly  Father. 
"  Prayer  is  throwing  up  the  heart  to  God  continually,"  he  said, 
"not  always  using  words,  but  casting-  up  the  thoughts  to  Him. 
Everything  leads  me  to  prayer,  and  I  always  find  it  answered, 
both  in  little  and  great  things."  "When  anticipating  that  a  ma- 
terial improvement  would  take  place  in  his  circumstances,  his 
prayers  were  constant  and  fervent  that  the  proposed  advantage 
should  not  be  granted  him,  unless  it  would  be  good  for  him  and 
his  family.  "  If  it  be  denied  me,"  he  observed,  "  I  can  only  say 
and  feel  that  I  still  thank  God  ;  and  if  it  is  appointed  for  me,  I 
am  sure  it  will  be  safe  and  good.  I  am  as  easy  to  leave  it  as  if 
it  concerned  only  a  51.  note."  No  one  that  ever  attended  his 
family  prayers  could  avoid  being  struck  by  the  intense  earnest- 
ness with  which  he  poured  out  his  feelings  upon  his  public  under- 
takings before  God.  He  spread  the  subject  before  Him,  wrestling 
with  Him  in  prayer  for  aid  and  guidance  ;  and  though  lie  spared 
no  exertions  of  his  own,  he  always  felt  that  God  alone  could  give 
the  increase.  Nor  when  success  had  followed  his  efforts  did  he 


1815,  1816.]  TRUST  IN  PROVIDENCE.  45 

forget  Him  from  whom  that  success  had  been  derived.  Indeed, 
he  habitually  received  the  will  of  God,  not  only  with  submission, 
but  thankfulness. 

Again,  and  again,  and  again,  in  his  papers  of  religious  medi- 
tations, does  he  recur  to  the  different  events  of  his  life,  and  trace 
with  grateful  pleasure  the  moulding  hand  of  Providence.  "  The 
clusters  of  mercies  received  "  are  enumerated  repeatedly  in  care- 
ful detail,  and  his  appointment  to  the  advocacy  of  the  oppressed 
and  neglected  is  always  included  as  a  source  of  deep  thankfulness 
and  wonder  that  such  as  he  should  have  been  permitted  thus  to 
labour  in  his  Master's  service.  This  strong  reliance  on  the 
presiding  care  of  God  grew  with  him  year  by  year,  as  his  expe- 
rience widened,  and  he  loved  to  count  up  the  instances  in  which, 
as  he  firmly  believed,  he  had  seen  the  ways  of  himself  and  others 
directed  by  the  hands  of  Providence  to  its  own  great  ends.  An 
unfinished  paper  detailing  various  providential  escapes  he  had  met 
with,  refers,  after  alluding  to  many  earlier  ones,  to  one  that  oc- 
curred in  the  winter  of  1815  : — 

"  Mr.  Back  and  I,"  he  says,  "  went  into  the  brewery  to  survey  the 
repairs  which  were  going  on  ;  we  were  standing  upon  a  plank,  with  only 
room  for  two,  face  to  face  ;  we  changed  places  in  order  that  I  might  sur- 
vey a  spot  to  which  he  was  directing  my  attention ;  his  hat  was  on,  I 
was  uncovered  :  as  soon  as  we  had  changed  places,  several  bricks  fell 
from  the  roof,  and  one  struck  his  head  ;  his  hat  in  some  measure  averted 
the  blow,  but  he  never  recovered  the  injury,  and  died  shortly  afterwards 
of  an  oppression  on  the  brain." 

TO  JOSEPH  JOHN  GURNET,  ESQ. 

"Hampstead,  April  12,  1816. 

"  It  is  very  true  that  I  have  been  worried  of  late,  but  not  about  the 
Malt  Tax,  for  that  is  only  a  question  of  profit,  one  that  I  could  not  re- 
gulate, and  I  find  no  disposition  in  my  mind  to  regret  what  is  irreme- 
diable. The  thing  which  has  given  me  uneasiness  is  the  discovery  of 
what  I  consider  errors  in  the  management  of  the  department  of  the 
brewery  which  has  fallen  to  me  lately ;  and  these  errors  I  am  deter- 
mined to  cure.  Now  this  involves  much  labour — but  labour  I  do  not 
regard — and  some  anxiety,  considering  my  inexperience  upon  many 
points  connected  with  it ;  but  I  cannot  say  that  I  have  felt  this  much. 
The  true  cause  of  my  disquietude  arises  from  a  certain  feature  in  my  own 
mind,  which  I  can  hardly  describe ;  a  kind  of  unregulated  ardour,  in 


46  LETTER  TO  MR.  GURNEY.  [CHAP.  iv. 

any  pursuit  which  appears  to  me  to  be  of  great  importance,  which  takes 
captive  all  my  faculties,  and  binds  them  down  to  that  pursuit,  and  will 
not  let  them  or  me  rest  till  it  is  accomplished.  I  hate  this ;  it  is  so  un- 
pleasant to  wake,  and  to  go  to  sleep,  with  your  head  full  of  vats  and 
tubs ;  and  I  disapprove  it  more  than  I  hate  it.  No  man,  I  think,  can 
have  more  abstract  conviction  of  the  folly  and  futility  of  such  engage- 
ment of  heart  upon  objects  so  utterly  trifling  and  undurable.  I  see  that 
it  is  an  infirmity:  I  deeply  feel  that  it  chokes  the  good  seed,  and  is  a 
most  pernicious  weed,  and  I  feel  the  breaches  that  it  makes  in  my  own 
quiet :  yet  so  much  am  I  its  slave,  that  it  will  intrude  into  the  midst  of 
such  reflections,  and  carry  me  off  to  my  next  gyle.*  How  sincerely  I 
do  often  wish  that  I  could  direct  this  fervent  energy  about  temporals 
into  its  proper  channel — that  I  could  be  as  warm  about  things  of  infinite 
importance,  as  I  am  about  dust  and  ashes ! 

"  If  I  cannot  accomplish  this,  I  wish  we  could  divide  it — I  keep  half 
for  my  business,  and  give  you  half  for  your  book.f  How  can  you,  my  dear 
brother,  be  languid  and  spiritless,  with  such  a  thing  before  you,  and  with 
such  a  capacity  for  doing  it  excellently  ?  Are  you  not  ashamed  that  I 
should  be  more  anxious  about  making  porter  than  you  are  about 
making  Christians?  At  it,  my  dear  fellow!  at  it  with  vigour;  but 
when  you  find  your  mind  unsuited  for  it,  write  me  another  letter,  for 
the  last  was  a  great  pleasure  to 

"  Your  affectionate  brother, 

"  T.  F.  BLXTOX." 

*  A  "  gyle  "  is  the  technical  name  for  a  brewing. 

f  On  the  '  Evidences  of  the  Christian  Religion.'  See  the  Works  of 
Joseph  John  Gurney. 


1816.]  ADVENTURE  WITH  A  MAD  DOG.  -17 


CHAPTER  V. 

1816,  1817. 

Adventure  with  a  Mad  Dog  —  Distress  in  Spitalfields  —  Mr.  Buxton's 
Speech  —  Letters  —  Establishment  of  Prison  Discipline  Society  —  Death 
of  Charles  Buxton  —  Journey  on  the  Continent  —  Letters  —  Incident  at 
the  Brewery  —  Book  on  Prison  Discipline. 

AN  incident  which  occurred  during  the  summer  of  1816  is  thus 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Buxton  in  a  letter  to  his  wife,  who  fortunately 
was  absent  at  the  time : — 

"Spitalfields,  July  15,  1816. 

"  As  you  must  hear  the  story  of  our  dog  Prince,  I  may  as  well  tell 
it  you.  On  Thursday  morning,  when  I  got  on  my  horse  at  S.  Hoare's, 
David  told  me  that  there  was  something  the  matter  with  Prince,  that 
he  had  killed  the  cat,  and  almost  killed  the  new  dog,  and  had  bit  at 
him  and  Elizabeth.  I  ordered  him  to  be  tied  up  and  taken  care  of,  and 
then  rode  off  to  town.  When  I  got  into  Hampstead,  I  saw  Prince 
covered  with  mud,  and  running  furiously,  and  biting  at  everything.  I 
saw  him  bite  at  least  a  dozen  dogs,  two  boys,  and  a  man. 

"  Of  course  I  was  exceedingly  alarmed,  being  persuaded  he  was  mad. 
I  tried  every  effort  to  stop  him  or  kill  him,  or  to  drive  him  into  some 
outhouse,  but  in  vain.  At  last  he  sprang  up  at  a  boy,  and  seized  him 
by  the  breast;  happily  I  was  near  him,  and  knocked  him  off  with  my 
whip.  He  then  set  off  towards  London,  and  I  rode  by  his  side,  waiting 
for  some  opportunity  of  stopping  him.  I  continually  spoke  to  him,  but 
he  paid  no  regard  to  coaxing  or  scolding.  You  may  suppose  I  was  se- 
riously alarmed,  dreading  the  immense  mischief  he  might  do,  having 
seen  him  do  so  much  in  the  few  preceding  minutes.  I  was  terrified  at 
the  idea  of  his  getting  into  Camden  Town  and  London,  and  at  length 
considering  that,  if  ever  there  was  an  occasion  that  justified  a  risk  of  life, 
this  was  it,  I  determined  to  catch  him  myself.  Happily  he  ran  up  to 
Pryor's  gate,  and  I  threw  myself  from  my  horse  upon  him,  and  caught 
him  by  the  neck :  he  bit  at  me  and  struggled,  but  without  effect,  and  I 
succeeded  in  securing  him,  without  his  biting  me.  He  died  yesterday, 
ravincr  mad. 

"Was  there  ever  a  more  merciful  escape?  Think  of  the  children 
being  gone !  I  feel  it  most  seriously,  but  I  cannot  now  write  more  fully. 


48  ADVENTURE  WITH  A  MAD  DOG.  [CHAP.  v. 

I  have  not  been  at  all  nervous  about  it,  though  certainly  rather  low, 
occasioned  partly  by  this,  and  partly  by  some  other  things. 

"  I  do  not  feel  much  fit  for  our  Bible  meeting  on  Wednesday — but  I 
must  exert  myself. 

"  P.S.  Write  me  word  whether  Fowell  has  any  wound  on  his  fingers, 
and  if  he  has  one  made  by  the  dog,  let  it  be  cut  out  immediately  ;  mind, 
these  are  my  positive  orders." 

He  afterwards  mentioned  some  particulars  which  he  had 
omitted  in  this  hurried  letter. 

"  When  I  seized  the  dog,"  he  said,  "  his  struggles  were  so  desperate 
that  it  seemed  at  first  almost  impossible  to  hold  him,  till  I  lifted  him  up 
in  the  air,  when  he  was  more  easily  managed,  and  I  contrived  to  ring 
the  bell.  I  was  afraid  that  the  foam,  which  was  pouring  from  his 
mouth  in  his  furious  efforts  to  bite  me,  might  get  into  some  scratch,  and 
do  me  injury;  so  with  great  difficulty  I  held  him  with  one  hand  while  I 
put  the  other  into  my  pocket  and  forced  on  my  glove  ;  then  I  did  the 
same  with  my  other  hand,  and  at  last  the  gardener  opened  the  door, 
saying,  '  What  do  you  want  ?  '  '  I've  brought  you  a  mad  dog,'  replied 
I ;  and  telling  him  to  get  a  strong  chain,  I  walked  into  the  yard,  carry- 
ing the  dog  by  his  neck.  I  was  determined  not  to  kill  him,  as  I  thought, 
if  he  should  prove  not  to  be  mad,  it  would  be  a  great  satisfaction  to  the 
three  persons  whom  he  had  bitten.  I  made  the  gardener,  who  was  in 
a  terrible  fright,  secure  the  collar  round  his  neck  and  fix  the  other  end 
of  the  chain  to  a  tree,  and  then  walking  to  its  furthest  range,  with  all 
my  force,  which  was  nearly  exhausted  by  his  frantic  struggles,  I  flung 
him  away  from  me,  and  sprang  back.  He  made  a  desperate  bound 
after  me,  but  finding  himself  foiled,  he  uttered  the  most  fearful  yell  I 
ever  heard.  All  that  day  he  did  nothing  but  rush  to  and  fro,  champing 
the  foam  which  gushed  from  his  jaws ;  we  threw  him  meat,  and  he 
snatched  at  it  with  fury,  but  instantly  dropped  it  again. 

"  The  next  day,  when  I  went  to  see  him,  I  thought  the  chain  seemed 
worn,  so  I  pinned  him  to  the  ground  between  the  prongs  of  a  pitch- 
fork, and  then  fixed  a  much  larger  chain  round  his  neck.  When  I 
pulled  off  the  fork,  he  sprang  up  and  made  a  dash  at  me,  which  snapped 
the  old  chain  in  two.  He  died  in  forty-eight  hours  from  the  time  he 
went  mad." 

He  writes  to  his  wife  a  day  or  two  afterwards  : — 

"  I  shot  all  the  dogs  and  drowned  all  the  cats.  The  man  and  boys 
who  were  bitten  are  doing  pretty  well :  their  wounds  were  immediately 
attended  to,  cut,  and  burnt  out. 


1816.]  DISTRESS  IN  SPITALFIELDS.  49 

••  \Vliat  a  terrible  business  it  was!  You  must  not  scold  me  for  the 
risk  I  ran ;  what  I  did  I  did  from  a  conviction  that  it  was  my  duty,  and 
I  never  can  think  that  an  over  cautious  care  of  self  in  circumstances 
where  your  risk  may  preserve  others  is  so  great  a  virtue  as  you  seem  to 
think  it.  I  do  believe  that  if  I  had  shrunk  from  the  danger,  and  others 
had  suffered  in  consequence,  I  should  have  felt  more  pain  than  I  should 
have  done  had  I  received  a  bite.'' 

The  winter  of  1816  set  in  early,  and  with  great  severity ;  the 
silk  trade  was  almost  stagnant,  and  the  weavers  in  Spitalfields, 
always  trembling  on  the  brink  of  starvation,  were  plunged  into 
the  deepest  misery.  It  was  increased  by  the  constant  influx  into 
the  parish  of  the  poorest  class  of  London  work-people,  who  could 
find  no  lodging  elsewhere.  A  soup  society  had  been  long  before 
established,  but  the  distress  far  exceeded  the  means  provided  for 
its  alleviation.  Under  these  circumstances  it  was  determined  to 
hold  a  meeting  on  the  subject  at  the  Mansion  House.  Mr. 
Buxton  and  Mr.  Samuel  Hoare  delayed  their  usual  visit  to  Nor- 
folk, in  order  to  explore  and  assist  in  relieving  the  sufferings  of 
the  Spitalfields  poor. 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON,  AT  EARLHAM. 

"  Spitalfields,  Nov.  9,  1816. 

"  *  *  *  S.  Hoare  and  I  came  from  Hampstead  to  attend  a  committee 
this  morning,  and  afterwards  visited  the  poor.  The  wretchedness  was 
great  indeed,  but  I  felt  most  compassion  for  a  poor  old  creature  of 
eighty,  living  alone  without  a  fire  or  blanket.  She  seemed  quite  be- 
wildered by  the  sight  of  silver ;  her  twilight  of  intellect  was  lost  in  grati- 
tude and  amazement.  Poor  old  thing !  that  she,  with  all  the  infirmities  of 
age,  and  without  one  earthly  consolation,  should  look  upon  the  prospect 
of  a  good  meal  as  a  cause  of  extravagant  joy  and  real  happiness,  and 
that  we,  with  the  command  of  every  comfort,  in  full  strength,  without 
a  bodily  want,  should  ever  repine  at  trifling  discomforts,  is,  I  hope,  a 
lesson.  We  are  going  to  have  a  public  meeting,  and  I  trust  a  profitable 
one,  for  without  a  large  supply  of  money  we  must  suspend  our  opera- 
tions. George  Kett  sent  me  50/.  to-day." 

"  Spitalfields,  November  22,  1816. 

"  I  did  not  write  to  you  yesterday  because  really  I  had  not  a  moment's 
time ;  the  committees  and  my  own  business  occupy  every  moment.  I 
had  a  pleasant  journey  up  to  town.  1  had  much  upon  my  mind — our 
conversation  about  the  eclipse.  The  vastness  of  the  creation  is  indeed 

E 


50  MR.  BUXTON'S  SPEECH.  [CHAP.  v. 

a  subject  for  meditation.  '  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and 
the  firmament  showeth  his  handiwork.'  '  When  I  consider  the  stars 
which  thou  hast  made,  and  the  heavens  which  are  the  work  of  thy 
hands,  what  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?'  How  truly  do  these 
words  describe  the  thoughts  to  which  the  vast  spectacle  of  nature, 
especially  the  heavenly  bodies,  rolling  in  their  appointed  orbits,  give 
rise  !  What  a  sermon  these  are  upon  the  mightiness  of  the  Creator, 
and  upon  the  insignificance  of  man  !  and  yet  that  we,  who  are  truly  dust 
and  nothingness,  should  have  the  presumption  to  defy  the  power  of  the 
Almighty,  to  resist  his  commands,  and  to  place  our  whole  souls  and 
hearts  upon  that  which  he  tells  us  is  but  vanity  ;  this  is  (if  nothing  else 
were)  a  demonstration  that  the  heart  of  man  is  '  deceitful  above  all 
things,  and  desperately  wicked.'  On  the  other  hand,  that  a  Being  so 
infinitely  great  should  condescend  to  invite  us  to  our  duty,  and  to  call 
that  duty  his  service,  proves  as  strongly  that  he  has  crowned  us  with 
loving  kindness  and  tender  mercy. 

"  I  am  well,  and  our  proceedings  about  the  poor  prosper; — but  oh, 
my  speech  !  When  shall  I  be  able  to  think  of  it  ?  I  fear  that  I  shall 
goto  the  meeting  with  it  all  in  a  jumble,  and  this  would  be  wicked,  as  it 
would  injure  the  good  cause.  I  do  try,  I  hope,  not  to  mingle  too  much 
of  self  in  my  earnest  desires  for  its  success,  and  I  am  not  forgetful  of  my 
usual  resource  in  difficulty — prayer. 

"I  am  now  going  to  the  workhouse.  I  shall  reach  Earlham  on 
Tuesday.  S.  Hoare  and  Abraham  Plastow  will  be  with  me,  and  I  hope 
the  latter  will  be  treated  with  deserved  distinction,  as  he  was  for  the 
first  twelve  years  of  my  life  the  dearest  friend  1  had." 

"November  27,  1816. 

"  Well,  our  meeting  went  off  capitally.  I  felt  very  flat,  and  did  not 
go  through  the  topics  I  meant  to  touch  upon,  and  upon  the  whole  con- 
sidered it  as  a  kind  of  failure ;  but  as  I  had  entreated  that  what  \vas 
best  might  be  done,  I  did  not  feel  at  all  disheartened,  but,  to  my  great 
surprise,  all  others  took  a  very  different  sense  of  it. 

"  Tell  dear  Priscy  I  send  her  the  '  Morning  Chronicle,'  that  she  may 
read  Papa's  speech,  and  I  hope  it  will  make  her  desirous  of  serving  the 
poor." 

A  brief  extract  may  be  given  from  this  speech.  After  men- 
tioning the  causes  which  had  produced,  he  says,  "  a  degree,  an 
expanse  of  distress  utterly  beyond  my  powers  to  describe,"  he 
continues — 

"  I  could  detain  you  till  midnight  with  the  scenes  we  have  witnessed. 
From  these  rough  minutes  which  I  hold  in  my  hand,  taken  on  the  spot, 


1816.]  MR.  BUXTON'S  SPEECH.  51 

. ft . 

in  the  very  houses  of  the  poor,  drawn  not  from  the  fictions  of  a  warm  ima- 
gination, but  from  scenes  of  actual  life — from  the  sad  realities  before  us, 
I  could  disclose  to  you  a  faithful  though  a  faint  picture  of  such  desperate 
calamity  and  unutterable  ruin,  that  the  heart  must  be  stony  indeed  that 
did  not  sicken  at  the  sight.  First,  I  would  lead  you  to  the  roof  of  a 
house  hardly  deserving  the  name  of  a  garret;  there  sat  three  human 
beings,  each  seventy  years  of  age — each  with  the  ghastly  lineaments  of 
famine  ;  a  few  bricks  were  their  only  chair  and  their  only  table  ;  a  little 
jof  our  soup  their  only  provision ;  a  little  straw  and  some  shreds  of  an 
old  coat  their  only  bed  !  Next,  I  would  show  you  a  family  of  nine ;  the 
father  disabled — the  mother  sickly— their  furniture,  their  bed,  their 
looms — every  article  of  present  use,  the  very  implements  of  future  labour, 
had  been  surrendered  to  the  demands  of  hunger !  I  will  not  exhaust 
your  feelings  by  further  recitals  of  what  has  met  our  eyes,  but  hasten  to 
a  larger  topic. 

"  My  Lord,  I  feel  more  and  more  that  I  cannot  do  justice  to  the  dis- 
tress. I  wish  I  could  prevail  upon  you  to  see  it  with  your  own  eyes. 
Come  when  you  please,  select  almost  your  own  street,  almost  your  own 
house  in  that  street,  your  own  room  in  that  house,  and  I  undertake  that 
in  that  room  you  will  find  a  proof  that  our  picture  is  faint  and  feeble. 
Come  amongst  us,  and  we  will  show  you  the  father  of  a  large  family, 
whom  we  found  in  the  act  of  pulling  down  his  stove,  to  exchange  it  for 
food.  The  dread  of  future  cold  was  less  violent  than  the  cravings  of 
immediate  hunger.  Come  by  day,  and  we  will  lead  you  to  a  widow  in 
the  last  stage  of  illness,  yet — the  only  blanket  of  the  dying  wretch  has 
been  sent  to  procure  bread  !  Come  by  night,  and  we  will  show  you  the 
baskets  and  the  sheds  of  our  markets  filled  with  these  wretched  crea- 
tures— there  they  find  their  nightly  lodging,  and  there  amongst  its  scraps 
and  refuse  they  pick  out  their  daily  food.  *  *  In  ordinary  times  the 
poor  are  the  best  friends  of  the  poor.  There  is  (and  happy  is  it)  a 
sympathy  in  affliction  (we  find  it  as  a  ray  of  light  amid  the  gloom),  a 
fellow-feeling  in  distress,  a  kind  of  benefit  society  to  which  all  the 
wretched  are  free, — a  society  not  indeed  enrolled  and  registered  by  Act 
of  Parliament,  but  by  higher  authority,  and  with  more  awful  sanction, 
by  the  instincts  which  Providence  has  implanted  in  the  human  heart ; 
but  this  is  a  virtue  for  better  times.  The  poor  man  can  hardly  support 
himself,  and  therefore  can  hardly  assist  others.  I  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  he  does  not.  We  have  met  with  instances  which  have  exalted  our 
respect  for  human  nature — instances  which  recall  the  widow  recorded  in 
the  New  Testament,  who  'out  of  her  want  gave  all  her  living;' — and 
the  widow  of  Sarepta  in  the  Old  Testament,  whose  whole  possession 
was  '  a  handful  of  meal  in  a  barrel,  and  a  drop  of  oil  in  a  cruse,'  yet  she 
was  willing  to  share  them  with  the  afflicted  stranger.  But  if  this  prove 

E2 


52  LETTER  FROM  WILBERFORCE.  [CHAP.  v. 

that  the  poor  are  not  bereft  of  every  ordinary  support,  is  it  not  a  lesson 
tons?  If  the  poor  man  who  is  obliged  to  deny  his  unsatiated  appe- 
tites,— who,  having  divided  sufficient  from  his  only  loaf  to  support  life, 
but  not  to  satisfy  hunger,  hides  the  remainder  for  the  next  day's  meal, — 
if  he  yet  find  some  place  for  mercy  in  his  soul,  and,  miserable  himself, 
is  yet  impelled  to  share  his  remaining  crust  with  the  more  miserable, — 
if  the  strong  impulse  of  humanity  urges  him  to  so  dear  a  sacrifice,  does 
it  not  teach  the  man  who  is  clothed  in  soft  raiment  and  fares  sumptuously 
every  day,  to  give  something  more  than  the  crumbs  that  fall  from  his 
table  to  the  wretchedness  that  surrounds  his  gate  ?  But  why  this  supe- 
rior mercy  in  the  poor  ?  Because  he  has  learned  it  in  the  school  of 
affliction.  He  knows  what  it  is  to  want  bread,  and  this  has  opened  his 
heart  and  enlivened  his  affections  for  those  who  are  exposed  to  the 
rigour  of  the  season  and  the  craving  importunities  of  hunger ;  but  the 
rich  man  cannot  feel  this.  He  can  experimentally  know  nothing  of 
what  it  is,  when  the  poor  man,  willing  to  strain  every  nerve  in  labour, 
is  denied  the  employment  which  might  stanch  the  tears  of  his  wife  and 
appease  the  cries  of  his  children, — when,  like  the  wretch  I  have  men- 
tioned, he  is  willing  to  suffer,  if  he  might  suffer  alone,  firm  against  his 
own  afflictions,  but,  when  he  looks  around  him,  sunk  to  the  effeminacy 
of  tears." 

He  might  fairly  be  surprised  by  the  universal  attention 
which  this  speech  received.  Nothing  could  be  more  com- 
mendatory than  the  mention  made  of  it  in  the  newspapers ; 
and  letters  of  congratulation  poured  in  from  all  sides.  One 
from  Mr.  Wilberforce,  the  first  written  by  him  to  his  future  ally 
and  successor,  may  be  deemed  almost  prophetic. 

"  Kensington  Gore,  November  28,  1816. 

"  My  dear  Sir, — I  must  in  three  words  express  the  real  pleasure 
with  which  I  have  both  read  and  heard  of  your  successful  effort  on 
Tuesday  last,  in  behalf  of  the  hungry  and  the  naked.  *  *  *  But  I  can- 
not claim  the  merit  of  being  influenced  only  by  regard  for  the  Spitalfields 
sufferers,  in  the  pleasure  I  have  received  from  your  performances  at  the 
meeting.  It  is  partly  a  selfish  feeling,  for  I  anticipate  the  success  of 
the  efforts  which  I  trust  you  will  one  day  make  in  other  instances,  in  an 
assembly  in  which  I  trust  we  shall  be  fellow-labourers,  both  in  the 
motives  by  which  we  are  actuated,  and  in  the  objects  to  which  our 
exertions  will  be  directed. 

"  I  am,  my  dear  Sir, 

"  Yours  sincerely, 

>'  W.   WlLUKKFORCB." 


1816.]  SUCCESS  OF  THE  MEETING.  53 

The  speech  reappeared  in  publications  of  the  most  widely  dif- 
ferent character.  It  was  republished  by  the  Spitalfields  Benevo- 
lent Society,  as  the  best  means  of  creating  sympathy  with  their 
exertions ;  it  was  republished  by  Hone  and  the  democrats,  as  the 
best  statement  of  the  miseries  permitted  under  the  existing 
government ;  and  it  was  republished  by  the  friends  of  that  go- 
vernment, "  because,"  said  they,  "  it  forms  so  beautiful  a  con- 
trast to  the  language  of  those  wretched  demagogues,  whose 
infamous  doctrines  would  increase  the  evils  they  affect  to 
deplore." 

"  By  this  one  meeting  at  the  Mansion  House,"  says  the  report 
of  the  Spitalfields  Benevolent  Society,  "  43,369/.  \vere  raised." 
Two  days  after  it  had  been  held,  Lord  Sidmouth  sent  for  Mr. 
Buxton,  to  inform  him,  that  "  the  Prince  had  been  so  pleased 
by  the  spirit  and  temper  of  the  meeting,  and  so  strongly 
felt  the  claims  that  had  been  urged,  that  he  had  sent  them 
5000/." 

With  these  exertions  for  the  poor  around  him,  Mr.  Buxton's 
public  career  may  be  said  to  have  commenced.  He  was  now 
launched  upon  that  stream  of  labour  for  the  good  of  others, 
along  which  his  course  lay  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  His 
letters  show  the  eagerness  of  his  desire  to  be  employing  his  ener- 
gies in  warring  against  the  evils  around  him.  "  I  want  to  be 
living  in  a  higher  key,"  he  remarked,  "  to  do  some  good  before 
I  die."  His  prayers  were  incessant  that  God  would  employ 
him  as  an  instrument  of  spreading  his  kingdom,  and  of  doing 
good  to  mankind.  He  had  great  delight  in  the  service  of  his 
Lord  and  Master;  nor  did  lie  ever  forget  to  thank  God  with 
deep  gratitude  when  any  opportunity,  however  trifling,  was 
afforded  him  of  exerting  himself  for  others.  To  one  of  his 
relations,  who  had  entered  upon  a  benevolent  undertaking  which 
required  considerable  personal  sacrifices,  he  writes, — 

"  For  my  part,  I  cannot  lament  for  and  pity  those  who  make  great 
sacrifices  in  compliance  with  conscience ;  such  dedication  of  self  is,  in 
my  view,  much  more  a  matter  of  envy.  Assuredly,  if  we  could  look  at 
such  sacrifices  throughout  their  whole  extent,  in  their  consequences  here 
to  others,  and  hereafter  to  ourselves,  we  should  perceive  that  the  per- 
mission to  be  so  engaged  is  a  privilege  of  inestimable  value.  I  am 
certain  that  you  are  only  actuated  by  a  conviction  of  duty,  and  shall  I 


54  MRS,  FRY— VISIT  TO  NEWGATE.  [CHAP.  v. 

repine  and  grieve  because  you  are  enabled  to  follow  so  high  a  director  ? 
Or  shall  I  not  rather  heartily  rejoice  that  you  are  called  to  such  a 
service,  and  that  the  call  is  not  resisted  ?  I  often  think  of  those  verses 
in  the  Acts,  '  rejoicing  that  they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame 
for  his  name ;  and  daily  in  the  Temple,  and  in  every  house,  they  ceased 
not  to  teach  and  to  preach  Jesus  Christ.'  And  so  I  am  half  inclined  to 
envy  you,  and  more  than  half  to  wish  that,  somehow  or  other,  I  were 
as  well  engaged." 

It  was  no  part  of  his  character  to  indulge  in  vague  desires 
without  a  bold  struggle  for  their  accomplishment.  Having  done 
what  he  could  in  relieving  the  miseries  of  his  poor  neighbours, 
he  soon  entered  upon  a  wider  field  of  benevolence. 

One  day,  while  walking  past  Newgate  with  Mr.  Samuel 
Hoare,  their  conversation  turned  upon  the  exertions  of  their 
sister-in-law  Mrs.  Fry,  and  her  companions,  for  the  improvement 
of  the  prisoners  within  its  walls  ;  and  this  suggested  the  idea  of 
employing  themselves  in  a  similar  manner.  They  soon  entered 
into  communication  with  Mr.  William  Crawford,  Mr.  Peter 
Bedford,  and  other  gentlemen,  who  were  also  anxious  to  improve 
the  condition,  at  that  time  deplorable  to  the  last  degree,  of  the 
English  gaols. 

The  exertions  of  Mrs.  Fry  and  her  associates  had  prepared  the 
way ;  public  attention  had  been  drawn  to  the  subject ;  and  in 
1816  the  Society  for  the  Reformation  of  Prison  Discipline  was 
formed.  In  the  list  of  the  committee,  Mr.  Buxton's  name 
stands  between  those  of  Dr.  Lushington  and  Lord  Suffield  (then 
the  Hon.  E.  Harborcl),  both  of  whom  were  afterwards  so  closely 
associated  with  him  in  the  attack  upon  negro  slavery. 

On  January  the  5th,  1817,  he  writes  from  Hampstead  to 
Mrs.  Bnxton, — 

"  After  I  had  written  to  you  yesterday,  I  went  with  Peter  Bedford 
and  Charles  on  a  visit  to  Newgate.  I  saw  four  poor  creatures  who  are 
to  In1  executed  on  Tuesday  next.  Poor  things!  God  have  mercy  on 
them  !  The  sight  of  them  was  sufficient  for  that  day.  I  felt  no  further 
inclination  to  examine  the  prison.  It  has  made  me  long  much  that  my 
life  may  not  pass  quite  uselessly ;  but  that,  in  some  shape  or  other,  I 
may  assist  in  checking  and  diminishing  crime  and  its  consequent  misery. 
Surely  it  is  in  the  power  of  all  to  do  something  in  the  service  of  their 
Master  ;  and  surely  I  among  the  rest,  if  I  were  now  to  begin  and 
endeavour,  to  the  best  of  my  capacity,  to  serve  Him,  might  bo  the 


1817.1  ILLNESS  OF  CHARLES  BUXTON.  55 

means  of  good  to  some  of  my  fellow-creatures.  This  capacity  is,  I  feel, 
no  mean  talent,  and  attended  with  no  inconsiderable  responsibility.  I 
must  pray  that  I  may  at  length  stir  myself  up,  and  be  enabled  to  feel 
somewhat  of  the  real  spirit  of  a  missionary,  and  that  I  may  devote 
myself,  my  influence,  my  time,  and,  above  all,  my  affections,  to  the 
honour  of  God,  and  the  happiness  of  man.  My  mission  is  evidently  not 
abroad,  but  it  is  not  less  a  mission  on  that  account.  I  feel  that  I  may 
journey  through  life  by  two  very  different  paths,  and  that  the  time  is  now 
come  for  choosing  which  I  will  pursue.  I  may  go  on,  as  I  have  been 
going  on,  not  absolutely  forgetful  of  futurity,  nor  absolutely  devoted  to 
it.  I  may  get  riches  and  repute,  and  gratify  my  ambition,  and  do  some 
good  and  more  evil;  and,  at  length,  I  shall  find  all  my  time  on  earth 
expended,  and  in  retracing  my  life  I  shall  see  little  but  occasions  lost, 
and  capacities  misapplied.  The  other  is  a  path  of  more  labour  and  less 
indulgence.  I  may  become  a  real  soldier  of  Christ ;  I  may  feel  that  I 
have  no  business  on  earth  but  to  do  his  will  and  to  walk  in  his  ways, 
and  I  may  direct  every  energy  I  have  to  the  service  of  others.  Of  these 
paths,  1  know  which  I  would  most  gladly  choose  :  '  but  what  I  would, 
that  I  do  not ;  but  what  I  hate,  that  do  I.'  In  short,  the  cares,  and 
the  pleasures,  and  the  business  of  this  world  choke  the  good  seed,  and 
we  are  perpetually  deceived.  We  would  sow  to  the  spirit,  and  we  sow 
to  the  flesh  ;  we  desire  heaven,  and  we  are  chained  to  earth." 

He  now  began  to  entertain  thoughts  of  entering  Parliament, 
and  at  the  election  of  February,  1817,  he  went  down  to  Wey- 
mouth,  at  the  invitation  of  Mr.  \V.  Williams,  to  stand  on  the 
same  interest.  He  did  not,  however,  offer  himself  as  a  can- 
didate. 

"  Weymouth,  Feb.  1817. 

"  I  am  far  from  regretting  that  I  came,  as  I  do  not  doubt  it  will 
secure  me  an  independent  seat  next  election  :  that  word  '  independent ' 
has  been  the  obstacle  upon  this  occasion.  I  intend  to  spend  a  good 
portion  of  the  next  two  years  in  preparation  for  the  House.  I  hope  I 
shall  either  do  good,  or  receive  pleasure,  when  I  get  there :  as  yet,  I 
have  had  in  politics  neither  one  nor  the  other.  I  am  pining  for  home  : 
nothing  suits  me  worse  than  this  kind  of  busy  leisure ;  too  much  to  do 
to  have  time  to  myself,  and  too  little  to  do  to  occupy  my  time." 

"  Hampstead,  April  5. 

"  Last  Sunday  I  was  at  Fakenham,  with  Charles,  who  is  very  unwell. 
God  grant  he  may  recover !  I  have  much  to  thank  God  about  with  re- 
gard to  him,  his  increased  and  increasing  piety  and  seriousness.  For  my- 
self I  sometimes  fear  my  treasure  is  too  much  in  my  business,  it  is  too  much 


56  DEATH  OF  CHARLES  BUXTON.  [CHAP.  v. 

my  amusement,  the  topic  to  which  I  turn  with  pleasure.  South  says, 
'  Whatsoever  a  man  accounts  his  treasure,  that  he  places  his  whole 
delight  in :  it  entertains  his  eye,  refreshes  his  fancy,  feeds  his  thoughts, 
and  affords  him  a  continual  feast.'  God  grant  that  I  may  so  meditate 
in  his  law,  and  so  dwell  within  the  walls  of  his  spiritual  temple,  that  He, 
and  my  duties  towards  Him,  may  be  my  chief  delight." 

Soon  afterwards  he  became  absorbed  in  anxiety  about  his 
brother  Charles,  who  had  shown  symptoms  of  a  decline,  which 
at  length  proved  fatal.  A  more  grievous  calamity  could 
scarcely  have  befallen  Mr.  Buxton.  Though  their  characters 
stood  far  apart,  the  two  brothers  had  some  points  of  strong  and 
endearing  resemblance.  The  lively  gladness  of  heart  which 
threw  a  constant  sunshine  over  the  countenance  of  the  younger, 
would  often  relax  the  graver  brow  of  the  elder  brother ; 
and,  indeed,  though  the  pressure  of  care  and  business  gave  Mr. 
Buxton  an  habitually  grave  aspect,  and  though  it  was  a  part  of 
his  character  to  be  so  absorbed  by  the  pursuit  he  had  in  hand 
as  to  seem  abstracted,  yet  there  was  in  him  throughout  life  a 
vein  of  playfulness  which  showed  itself  often  when  least  ex- 
pected. Even  when  he  himself  was  somewhat  silent  and  op- 
pressed, he  courted  the  cheerfulness  of  others,  and  delighted  in 
it.  But  the  friend  that  could  best  enliven  him  was  lost  when 
his  brother  sunk  into  the  grave. 

TO  MRS.  BUXTOX. 

"  Weymouth,  July  4,  1817. 

*'  My  dearest  Wife, — How  difficult  it  is  to  pour  out  all  the  feelings 
of  this  day ;  memorable  as  it  will  be  to  me,  for  as  bitter  pain  on  the 
one  hand,  and  as  strong  and  joyful  gratitude  on  the  other,  as  ever  I 
passed  through  !  After  such  a  tumult  of  feelings,  I  am  now  quite  dull 
and  confused,  hardly  crediting  that  it  is  anything  but  a  dream,  or  that  he 
that  was  my  earliest  friend,  and  so  very  near  my  heart,  and  with  whom  the 
ties  of  friendship  were  so  exquisitely  tender,  should  be  passed  away  for 
ever,  or  rather  for  the  short  period  of  this  pilgrimage  ;  but  if  I  feel  the 
grief  of  having  these  ten  thousand  links  of  brotherhood  snapped  asunder, 
I  hope  and  I  think  that  I  do  more  strongly  feel  the  strong  and  sufficient 
consolations  that  surround  us.  Dear  as  he  is  to  me  (and  there  is  an 
inexpressible  fondness  over  his  memory),  I  would  not  recall  him  to 
earth.  If  this  world  be  a  state  of  probation,  he  has  passed  through  it, 
and  is,  I  am  persuaded,  with  the  Saviour  on  whom  he  depended.  I 


1817.]  DEATH  OF  CHARLES  BUXTON.  57 

cannot  say  the  satisfaction  I  feel  in  his  state  of  mind  of  late — the 
deepest  humility  as  to  himself,  mixed  with  the  firmest  confidence  in  the 
sufficient  merits  of  Christ.  ...  I  will  now  tell  you  events  as  they  have 
passed.  At  Andover  I  found  a  letter  from  Anna,  saying  he  was  worse  ; 
and  that  I  might  be  too  Jatc.  I  shall  not  easily  forget  the  ride  between 
Andover  and  Salisbury.  I  could  only  see  the  dark  side,  the  deep  and 
irreparable  loss,  and  one  chief  joy  of  my  life  gone  for  ever.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  journey  to  Dorchester  was  rather  anxious  than  anything 
else.  I  particularly  desired  to  see  him  once  more,  and  I  strongly  hoped 
to  have  that  comfort,  but  at  Dorchester  I  heard  of  his  peaceful  end. 
Poor  dear  fellow!  Between  that  and  Weymouth,  after  indulging  for  a 
short  time  in  groanings  for  us  who  remain,  I  felt  the  deepest  gratitude 
on  his  account.  I  was  so  happy  in  his  fate,  ani  so  sensible  of  the  all- 
righteous  hand  which  directed  it !  ...  Infinitely  beyond  all,  how  mer- 
ciful and  gladdening  it  is  that  those  words,  '  in  sure  and  certain  hope  of 
a  blessed  resurrection,'  are  not  at  all  too  strong  to  express  my  convic- 
tions about  him  !  He  is  bound  to  the  very  inmost  recesses  of  i/iy  heart, 
when  I  recall  and  call  up  in  my  heart  a  thousand  endearing  recollec- 
tions, his  tenderness  towards  me,  his  playful  manner,  his  ready  sympathy 
in  all  that  touched  me,  his  nice  sense -of  honour  and  delicate  feeling 
When  all  these  rush  into  my  mind  (and  they  are  twined  round  all  the 
events  that  are  past),  I  should  be  a  mourner  indeed  if  I  had  not  an 
unfailing  sense  of  consolation,  '  a  present  help  in  time  of  trouble,'  in 
the  conviction  of  his  happiness,  and  in  the  earnest  hope  of  being  again 
restored  to  him,  in  a  state  free  from  the  impurities  and  imperfections  of 
this  world.  Oh !  how  I  do  long  to  take  to  the  warning  of  his  example, 
to  detach  myself  from  the  frailties  and  vanities  of  this  world,  to  become 
a  disciple  and  soldier  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  remember  '  righteous- 
ness, temperance,  and  the  judgment  to  come!'  and  how  I  do  feel  that 
this  admonition,  like  other  deep  ones  which  I  have  had,  may  pass  away, 
and  that  I  may  be  one  of  those  of  whom  it  may  be  said,  '  it  would  have 
been  better  for  him  never  to  have  known  the  ways  of  righteousness  !' 

"  His  being  now  in  the  land  of  Spirits  before  his  Maker,  and  in  the 
company  of  his  Redeemer,  in  whom  he  so  fully  believed,  and  whom  he 
loved,  gives  to  me  a  familiarity  with  death  which  I  never  experienced. 
There  is,  I  have  almost  thought,  a  community  and  sameness  of  feeling 
between  brothers  which  is  only  equalled  by  that  between  husband  and 
wife.  Oh !  how  I  feel  that  this  is  gone !  but  I  do  not  forget  that  I 
have  others  left,  who  are  perhaps  as  dear  to  me,  besides  yourself,  my 
love.  I  went  into  the  room  by  myself,  wishing  to  return  thanks,  with 
his  remains  before  me,  for  the  inexpressible  mercy  displayed  to  him,  and 
to  pray  that  we  who  are  left  may  be  preserved  from  evil. 

'•  Martha  told  me  that  Charles,  on  Tuesday,   could   not  swallow  ; 


58  DEATH  OF  CHARLES  BUXTON.  [CHAP.  v. 

when  she  observed  how  sorry  she  was,  he  answered  by  repeating  the 
story  of  the  Samaritan  woman  at  the  well,  and  concluded  by  saying, 
'  Though  I  cannot  eat,  and  though  I  cannot  drink,  yet  if  I  can  but 
drink  one  glass  of  cold  water  at  that  living  spring,  I  shall  never  thirst 
any  more.' 

"  When  somebody  said  to  him,  '  We  must  repent  and  then  we  shall 
be  forgiven  by  Christ,'  he  said,  '  You  begin  at  the  wrong  end :  we  must 
first  seek  Christ,  then  He  will  give  us  repentance  and  forgiveness.'  He 
was  fully  aware  the  last  moment  was  approaching,  and  his  soul  seemed 
at  times  as  if  it  were  already  in  heaven.  Send  this  to  my  aunt  Gurney 
and  Anna ;  with  my  dearest  love  to  all." 

"  July  6,  1817. 

"  If  we  only  consider  the  loss  we  have  sustained,  we  must  go  mourn- 
ing all  the  day  long;  if  we  consider  the  gain  to  him,  it  extracts  the 
anguish  from  the  wound.  I  cannot  help  following  him  in  his  present 
state.  He,  with  whose  views  and  prospects,  and  feelings  and  joys,  I 
have  till  within  a  few  days  been  so  conversant,  is  now  in  a  scene  so  new, 
so  grand,  so  inexpressible,  so  infinitely  beyond  the  rags  arid  vanities  of 
earth." — "  I  do  not  expect  to  feel  Charles's  funeral  much,"  he  says  in 
another  letter;  "  I  have  dwelt  so  much  upon  him  as  ascended  to  heaven, 
that  I  cannot,  or  rather  do  not,  so  very  closely  connect  the  idea  of  him 
and  his  remains.  I  mean,  in  committing  them  to  the  earth,  I  do  not 
feel  as  if  I  were  committing  him  there." 

Twenty  years  afterwards,  in  reviewing  the  leading  occurrences 
of  his  life,  he  thus  refers  to  this  event : — 

"  I  know  of  no  tie,  that  of  husband  and  wife  excepted,  which  could 
be  stronger  than  the  one  which  united  Charles  and  me.  We  were  what 
the  lawyers  call  '  tenants  in  common '  of  everything.  He  was,  I  think, 
the  most  agreeable  person  I  ever  knew.  A  kind  of  original  humour 
played  about  his  conversation.  It  was  not  wit;  it  was  anything  rather 
than  that  species  of  humour  which  provokes  loud  laughter  ;  it  was  not 
exactly  naivete,  though  that  comes  nearest  to  it ;  it  was  an  intellectual 
playfulness  which  provided  for  every  hour,  and  extracted  from  every 
incident  a  fund  of  delicate  merriment.  He  died  at  Weymouth  in  the 
year  1817; — and  thou  knowest,  O  Lord,  and  thou  only,  how  deeply  I 
loved,  and  how  long  and  how  intensely  I  lamented  him." 

His  brother's  widow  and  children  were  the  objects  of  his 
tender  care.  lie  took  a  house  for  them  near  his  own  at  Hamp- 
stead,  and  as  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Samuel  Iloare,  rrsidcd  in 
the  same  place,  the  three  families  became  ujiited  in  habits  of  the 
closest  intercourse. 


1817.]  VISIT  TO  THE  CONTINENT.  59 

In  the  winter  of  1817,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buxton  and  Mr.  S.  and 
Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney  went  over  to  France,  with  the  Rev.  Francis 
Cunningham,  who  was  anxious  to  establish  a  branch  of  the  Bible 
Society  at  Paris.  Mr.  Buxton  and  his  brothers-in-law  took  a 
great  interest  in  this  undertaking,  and  were  also  desirous  to  pro- 
cure information  as  to  the  excellent  systems  of  prison  discipline 
adopted  in  the  jails  of  Antwerp  and  Ghent. 

In  crossing  over  to  Boulogne  the  party  met  with  an  adven- 
turowhich  might  have  turned  out  seriously.  Soon  after  leaving 
Dover,  they  were  surrounded  by  a  dense  fog,  in  which  they 
drifted  about  for  two  clays  and  nights,  without  being  able  to  con- 
jecture what  course  the  vessel  was  pursuing.  To  this  anxiety 
actual  suffering  was  soon  added,  for  the  packet  contained  many 
passengers,  and  there  was  no  sleeping  accommodation,  and 
scarcely  a  morsel  of  food  on  board.  A  few  mouldy  biscuits  and 
a  piece  of  cheese  were  furnished  at  a  high  price  from  one  of  the 
sailors,  with  which  the  hungry  party  were  obliged  to  be  con- 
tented. In  the  course  of  the  second  night  the  braying  of  an  ass 
warned  them  of  their  near  approach  to  land,  and  having  narrowly 
avoided  running  the  vessel  ashore,  a  short  dispersion  of  the  fog 
at  length  enabled  them  to  enter  the  harbour  of  Calais.  After 
referring  to  this  incident,  Mr.  Buxton  proceeds  in  his  diary : — 

"  I  would  not  willingly  forget  the  lesson  taught  of  the  value  of 
food — of  the  pain  of  being  restricted  in  it ;  these  lines  will  recall  my 
feelings : — 

'  Take  physic,  Pomp, 
Expose  thyself  to  feel  what  wretches  feel, 
That  thou  mayst  shake  the  superflux  to  them.'  " 

The  following  are  extracts  from  his  diary  : — 

"  Nov.  1,  1817. 

"  One  cannot  pass  over  from  Dover  to  Calais  without  being  struck 
with  the  immense  expenditure  which  has  been  lavished  upon  the  animo- 
sities of  the  two  countries.  We  hear  with  astonishment  of  some  hun- 
dred thousand  pounds  raised  in  England  for  the  dispersion  of  the  Bible 
through  the  world  ;  of  20,000/.  per  annum  raised  to  send  missionaries 
to  communicate  to  heathen  nations  the  blessings  of  Christianity.  Such 
exertions  excite  our  admiration,  elevate  our  country  in  our  eyes,  and 
even  oxalt  our  nature.  But  turn  for  a  moment  to  the  opposite  picture, 
and  observe  ten  times  these  enormous  sums  expended  upon  twenty  acres 


60  VERSAILLES— ST.  CLOUD.  [CHAP.  v. 

of  land  at  Dover,  and  as  many  at  Calais, — not  to  promote  civilisation  or 
happiness,  but  for  purposes  of  mutual  hostility,  defiance,  aggression,  and 
bloodshed.  I  do  verily  believe  that  the  true,  genuine,  valorous,  mili- 
tary spirit,  is  the  true  and  genuine  spirit  inspired  by  the  enemy  of  man, 
and  I  hope  that  I  shall  never  refuse  or  be  ashamed  to  avow  these 
strange,  extraordinary  sentiments." 

"  Paris,  Nov.  10. 

"  Thus  far  I  have  thoroughly  enjoyed  my  journey;  the  people  are 
civil  and  engaging,  and  full  of  life.  What  an  odd  thing  it  is  that  our 
mutual  rulers  should  have  deemed  it  expedient  that  we  should  have 
spent  the  last  twenty-three  years  in  cutting  each  other's  throats ;  and 
that  we  should  so  often  have  illuminated  at  the  grateful  intelligence  that 
ten  thousand  of  these  our  lively  friends  were  killed,  and  twenty  thou- 
sand wounded !  Surely  we  must  now  think  this  a  strange  reason  for 
rejoicing.  Seeing  the  natives  is  an  antidote  to  the  pleasure  of  destroy- 
ing them.  If  it  be  our  duty  to  love  our  enemies,  the  military  prepara- 
tions are  an  extraordinary  mode  of  displaying  our  affection.  In  truth  it 
is  a  sad  thing,  that 

'  Straits  interposed 

Make  enemies  of  nations,  which  had  else, 

Like  kindred  drops,  been  melted  into  one.' 

"  11/A. — We  went  to  Versailles  to  breakfast.  Almost  every  bush 
has  its  statue.  The  fauns,  tritons,  Neptunes,  heroes,  Venuses,  Dianas, 
mixed  with  the  statues  of  Louis  le  Grand  and  Louis  le  Desire  (whose 
features  defy  all  meaning),  present  an  assemblage  of  fiction  and  fact, 
much  to  the  advantage  of  the  former. 

"  After  visiting  Versailles,  we  went  to  St.  Cloud.  This  is  a  very 
comfortable  and  splendid  abode,  the  furniture  very  beautiful  and  costly, 
and  as  much  surpassing  Versailles  in  cheerfulness  as  falling  short  of  it 
in  melancholy  grandeur.  It  is  the  second  record  of  departed  glory 
which  we  have  seen  to-day :  the  third  comes  more  home  to  our  hearts. 
We  this  night,  on  our  arrival  at  Paris,  heard  of  the  death  of  our  Prin- 
cess. We  have  all  felt  it  as  if  she  were  bound  to  ourselves  by  the  ties 
of  kindred. 

"  12th. — We  went  to  the  Palace  of  the  Luxemburg,  and  there  saw 
Talleyrand  ; — a  bishop  in  the  reign  of  the  King — an  abjurcr  of  Chris- 
tianity when  reason  was  deified — prime  minister  of  Buonaparte  till  his 
Spanish  expedition — one  of  the  first  to  betray  him — on  his  return 
offering  his  insidious  assistance  again  to  betray  him — and  now  in  full 
power ! 

"15M. — Went  to  the  Legislative  Assembly,  and  saw  the  rooms  for 
the  Peers.  Wonderfully  smart — too  much  so.  Very  different,  indeed, 


1817.]  PRISONS  OF  GHENT  AND  ANTWERP.  61 


are  both  these  chambers  from  the  negligent  grandeur  of  the  British 
Parliament. 

"  16//J. — Francis  Cunningham  and  I  went  to  various  persons  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  Bible  Society.  We  found  only  M.  Juillerat 
at  homo,  with  whom  we  had  some  encouraging  conversation.  His  de- 
scription of  the  state  of  religion  in  the  country  is  truly  deplorable.  The 
Protestants  are  sadly  indifferent,  and  the  Roman  Catholics  are  either 
quite  philosophically  careless  or  thoroughly  bigoted. 

"  Baxter  says,  in  his  Life,  something  of  this  kind  : — '  I  did  not  know 
till  now  what  a  great  sin  tyranny  is,  which  thus  prevents  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel :'  and  the  difficulties  we  have  this  day  felt  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Bible  Society  from  the  restraints  of  Government 
have  united  me  in  the  same  feeling. 

"  Went  again  to  the  Louvre,  and  greatly  admired  the  Italian  paint- 
ings ;  and,  particularly,  some  of  Claude's.  I  cannot  like  Rubens'  great, 
sprawling,  allegorical  Deities." 

His  diary  contains  very  full  particulars  relative  to  those  pri- 
sons at  Ghent  and  Antwerp  which  it  was  one  purpose  of  his 
journey  to  examine.  He  was  especially  struck  with  the  admir- 
able management  of  the  Maison  de  Force  in  the  former  town, 
and  he  determined  to  lay  his  account  of  it  before  the  Prison 
Discipline  Society  in  London. 

"  At  Ghent  we  were  told  that  when  Buonaparte  was  emperor  he 
demanded  of  the  Roman  Catholic  College  an  approbation  of  his  mar- 
riage with  Maria  Louisa,  which  they  steadily  refused.  Soon  after,  he 
sent  them  a  bishop  who  was  not  properly  ordained  by  the  Pope,  and 
they  refused  to  obey  him.  On  this  he  ordered  a  detachment  of  soldiers 
to  surround  the  college,  and  to  take  every  priest  and  student.  He  then 
sent  them  all  off  to  his  armies  as  soldiers ;  and  of  330  thus  sent  but 
fifteen  returned  alive !  " 

"  Sunday,  Calais. 

"  Here  we  arrived  at  ten  o'clock  this  morning,  being  compelled  by 
the  regulations  of  the  fortified  towns  to  travel  some  distance  on  this  day. 
We  regret  this,  as  we  would  not  willingly  lend  even  our  feeble  counte- 
nance to  the  violation  of  the  Sabbath,  which  this  country  everywhere 
presents. 

"  We  all  felt  grateful  for  the  encouraging  intelligence  that  a  Bible 
Society  had  been  formed  in  Paris.  I  ardently  hope  that  it  may  be  the 
means  of  much  direct  good  by  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  and  of 
much  indirect  good  by  causing  intercourse  between  the  Protestants  of 
France  and  England.  France,  indeed,  needs  everything  that  can  be 


62  THE  LONDON  PRISONS.  [CHAP.  v. 

done  for  her  religious  welfare.  Religion  is,  as  it  were,  almost  abolished. 
I  speak  generally,  but  I  trust,  and  indeed  I  am  persuaded,  that  this 
generality  admits  of  very  many  exceptions;  but,  altogether,  there  is 
little  appearance  of  religion.  The  amusements  and  businesses  of  the 
Sunday — the  utter  absence  of  the  Scriptures — the  perpetual  reiteration 
of  '  Mon  Dieu  '  in  every  sentence — the  indifference  as  to  truth — in 
short,  all  that  strikes  the  eye  and  the  ear,  indicates  the  absence  of  any 
spiritual  understanding." 

Upon  Mr.  Buxton's  return  to  England  he  communicated  to 
the  Prison  Discipline  Society  the  information  which  he  had 
acquired  with  respect  to  the  Maison  de  Force  at  Ghent,  and  this 
led  to  a  request  from  the  committee  that  his  description  of  it 
might  be  published.  "  When  I  sat  down  to  this  task,"  he  says, 
in  the  preface  to  his  book,  "  the  work  insensibly  grew  upon  my 
hands.  It  was  necessary  to  prove  that  evils  and  grievances  did 
exist  in  this  country,  and  to  bring  home  to  these  causes  the  in- 
crease of  corruption  and  depravity.  For  this  purpose  repeated 
visits  to  prisons  were  requisite." 

Accordingly,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Hoare,  Mr.  William  Craw- 
ford, and  others,  he  visited  at  different  times  the  principal  Lon- 
don jails,  and  examined  with  the  utmost  care  into  every  part  of 
the  system  pursued  in  them. 

TO  THE  REV.  FRANCIS  CUNNINGHAM. 

"  Spitalfields,  Dec.  1817. 

"  Since  my  return  I  have  been  much  engaged  in  the  London  prisons, 
and  my  inquiries  have  developed  a  system  of  folly  and  wickedness  which 
surpasses  belief.  A  noise  must  be  made  about  it,  and  (will  you  believe 
it  ?)  I  am  going  to  turn  author,  and  am  preparing  a  pamphlet  upon  the 
subject  of  prisons. 

"  The  recollection  of  our  journey  acquires  new  charms  in  my  eyes, 
and  I  heartily  rejoice  we  were  induced  to  take  it. 

"  Tell  C that  if  the  result  should  in  any  way  diminish  the  quan- 
tum of  misery  that  is  endured,  and  of  vice  which  is  hatched  in  our 
prisons — if  it  should  be  the  means  of  encouraging  the  Protestant  ministers 
of  France,  and  of  dispersing  the  Bible  through  its  forlorn  population — 
I  shall  think  we  were  almost  repaid  for  the  terrible,  monstrous,  shocking 
dangers  we  incurred  when  exposed  to  all  the  horrors  of  a  calm. 

"  Can  you  give  Major  Close  the  name  of  the  regiment,  at  Mont  i 
which  had  no  Bibles?     If  so,  they  will  be  immediately  supplied." 


1817.]  REFLECTIONS.  63 

TO  A  FRIEND. 

"  Dec.  1817. 

"  I  never  enjoyed  my  home  more.  I  hardly  ever  was  so  sensible  of 
enjoyment  in  it  as  since  my  return  from  France.  To  be  happy  I  must 
be  employed,  and  on  a  useful  object,  for  between  ourselves  (but  this 
is  a  profound  secret)  I  am  sick  of  having  my  heart  in  my  vats." 

He  closed  the  year  1817  with  the  following  reflections  in  his 
common-place  book :  — 

"  This  year  has  been  chequered  with  events  of  deep  interest — some 
joyful  and  some  dressed  in  the  darkest  sable.  But  how  encouraging  is 
it  to  be  able  to  recognise  in  all,  and  especially  in  the  mournful  circum- 
stances of  the  year,  the  hand  of  a  merciful  Providence !  This  day  last 
year  I  Sj>cnt  with  my  beloved  brother ;  together  we  went  to  our  usual 
place  of  worship,  to  hear  our  (especially  his)  beloved  minister,*  and 
together  we  wandered  through  the  future. 

'  But  God  has  wisely  hid  from  human  eyes 
The  dark  decrees  of  Fate.' 

"  Very  soon  afterwards  I  was  called  to  Weymouth  to  the  election.  I 
need  not  now  enter  into  the  reasons  which  induced  me  not  to  stand  ; 
suffice  it  to  say,  I  would  not  be  dependent.  With  my  determination  I 
have  been  well  satisfied.  I  fancy  my  election  at  a  future  period  is  very 
probable  :  if  it  will  tend  to  my  real  good  or  the  good  of  others,  I  believe 
it  will  be  so  determined  by  Providence ;  if  not,  I  earnestly  pray  God  to 
avert  the  fulfilment  of  my  wishes.  I  am  too  well  aware  of  my  own 
blindness  to  have  my  heart  much  set  on  it.  :  *  While  I  was  at 

Weymouth,  my  sweet  boy,  Harry,  got  through  the  bars  of  his  nursery 
window,  and  was  discovered  merely  holding  by  his  hands  with  the 
utmost  unconcern.  What  was  not  his  mother — what  was  not  I  spared  ! 
*  *  *  What  shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  mercies  to  me,  of 
which  (next  to  his  inestimable  love  in  the  redemption  of  the  world)  my 
wife  is  fur  the  greatest  ?  *  *  *  I  often  wonder  at  the  goodness  of 
God,  in  giving  to  one  so  unworthy  so  rich  a  treasure. 

"  Soon  after  my  return  from  Weymouth  began  the  heaviest  affliction 
of  my  life — the  illness,  the  gradual  and  perceptible  decay,  alas !  the 
death,  of  my  dearest  brother.  No  day  passes  in  which  something  or 
other  does  not  recall  his  beloved  image,  his  lively  manners,  his  unity  of 
heart.  I  trust  that  few  days  pass  in  which  I  forget  to  thank  God  for 
this  dispensation,  and  to  rejoice  that  he  has,  as  I  doubt  not  he  has,  '  for 
this  corruptible  put  on  incorruption.' 


*  The  Rev.  Josiah  Pratt. 


64  INCIDENT  AT  THE  BREWERY.  [CHAP.  v. 

"  His  widow  and  her  three  children  have  been  staying  with  us  for 
some  time, — much  to  my  comfort,  and,  I  hope,  somewhat  to  hers.  I 
have  read  and  heard  of  acts  of  faithful  affection  ;  but  I  never  heard,  or 
read,  or  saw  anything  to  compare  with  the  affection,  kindness,  attention, 
and  generosity  displayed  by  S.  Hoare  to  her. 

"  On  Saturday  last,  in  consequence  of  an  almost  obsolete  promise  to 
sleep  in  town  when  all  the  other  partners  were  absent,  I  slept  at  Brick- 
lane.  S.  Hoare  had  complained  to  me  that  several  of  our  men  were 
employed  on  the  Sunday.  To  inquire  into  this,  in  the  morning  I  went 
into  the  brewhousc,  and  was  led  to  the  examination  of  a  vat  containing 
170  ton  weight  of  beer.  I  found  it  in  what  I  considered  a  dangerous 
situation,  and  I  intended  to  have  it  repaired  the  next  morning.  I  did 
not  anticipate  any  immediate  danger,  as  it  had  stood  so  long.  When  I 
got  to  Wheeler-street  chapel,  I  did  as  I  usually  do  in  cases  of  difficulty, 
— I  craved  the  direction  of  my  heavenly  Friend,  who  will  give  rest  to 
the  burthened,  and  instruction  to  the  ignorant. 

"  From  that  moment  I  became  very  uneasy,  and  instead  of  proceeding 
to  Hampstead,  as  I  had  intended,  I  returned  to  Brick-lane.  On  ex- 
amination I  saw,  or  thought  I  saw,  a  still  further  declension  of  the  iron 
pillars  which  supported  this  immense  weight;  so  I  sent  for  a  surveyor; 
but  before  he  came  I  became  apprehensive  of  immediate  danger,  and 
ordered  the  beer,  though  in  a  state  of  fermentation,  to  be  let  out. 
Wrhen  he  arrived,  he  gave  it  as  his  decided  opinion  that  the  vat  was 
actually  sinking,  that  it  was  not  secure  for  five  minutes,  and  that,  if  we 
had  not  emptied  it,  it  would  probably  have  fallen.  Its  fall  would  have 
knocked  down  our  steam-engine,  coppers,  roof,  with  two  great  irou 
reservoirs  full  of  water, — in  fact,  the  whole  Brewery. 

"  How  the  new  year  may  pass,  who  can  tell  ?  I  may  not  see  the 
end  of  it ;  but  these  are  the  active  objects  I  propose  for  myself : — 

To  write  a  pamphlet  on  Prison  Discipline. 

To  establish  a  Savings  Bank  in  Spitalfiekls. 

To  recommence  the  sale  of  salt  fish  in  Spitalfields. 

To  attend  to  the  London  Hospital,  and  to  endeavour  to  make  the 

clergyman  perform  his  duties,  or  to  get  him  superseded. 
To  establish  a  new  Bible  Association. 

"  May  the  grace  of  God  assist  me  in  these  objects ;  may  He  sanctify 
my  motives,  and  guard  me  from  pride,  and  may  I  use  my  utmost  exer- 
tions, making  His  will  mine." 

In  February  of  the  ensuing  year  he  published  his  work  entitled 
(  An  Inquiry  whether  Crime  be  produced  or  prevented  by  our 
present  System  of  Prison  Discipline.'  "While  composing  it,  he 
always  began  his  writing  with  prayer  that  he  might  "  be  guided 


1817.]  WORK  ON  PRISON  DISCIPLINE.  65 

aright,  and  that  he  might  do  his  duty  without  any  regard  to  self, 
but  simply  for  the  service  of  God."  The  work  was  received 
with  a  degree  of  attention  to  which  he  had  never  aspired,  run- 
ning through  six  editions  in  the  course  of  the  first  year ;  and 
a  very  considerable  impulse  was  given  to  general  feeling  upon 
the  subject  of  which  it  treated.  The  work  was  thus  alluded  to 
in  the  House  of  Commons  by  Sir  James  Mackintosh. 

"  The  question  of  our  penal  code,  as  relating  to  prison  abuses,  has 
been  lately  brought  home  to  the  feelings  of  every  man  in  the  country 
by  a  work  so  full  of  profound  information,  of  such  great  ability,  of  such 
chaste  and  commanding  eloquence,  as  to  give  that  House  and  the 
country  a  firm  assurance  that  its  author  could  not  embark  in  any  under- 
taking which  would  not  reflect  equal  credit  upon  himself  and  upon  the 
object  of  his  labours." 

Mr.  Wilberforce  wrote  to  him  on  the  same  subject,  and,  after 
warmly  congratulating  him  on  the  weight  it  appeared  to  carry, 
he  adds, 

"  May  it  please  God  to  continue  to  animate  you  with  as  much  bene- 
volent zeal,  and  to  direct  it  to  worthy  objects.  I  hope  you  will  come 
soon  into  Parliament,  and  be  able  to  contend  in  person,  as  well  as  with 
your  pen,  for  the  rights  and  happiness  of  the  oppressed  and  the  friend- 
less. I  claim  you  as  an  ally  in  this  blessed  league." 

The  good  effects  of  this  book  were  not  confined  to  England : 
it  was  translated  into  French,  and  distributed  on  the  Continent. 
It  even  reached  Turkey  ;  and  in  Indiana  gentleman  of  the  name 
of  Blair,  having  chanced  to  read  it,  was  induced  to  examine  into 
the  state  of  the  Madras  jails.  He  found  them  in  a  wretched 
condition,  and  did  not  rest  till  a  complete  reformation  had  been 
effected. 


<:c  HIS  FIRST  ELECTION.  [CHAP.  vi. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

1818,  1819. 

Election,  1818  —  Letter  from  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney  —  Thoughts  on  entering 
Parliament  —  First  Speech,  on  Criminal  Law  —  Committees  on  Criminal 
Law  and  Prison  Discipline  —  Letters  —  Debate  on  the  Manchester  Riot. 

IN  the  spring  of  1818  a  dissolution  of  Parliament  took  place, 
and  Mr.  Buxton  now  offered  himself  as  a  candidate  for  Wey- 
mouth.  He  did  not  take  this  step  without  much  prayer  for 
guidance  in  the  matter.  "  It  appears  to  me,"  he  said,  "  to  be 
the  sphere  in  which  I  could  do  most  for  my  Master's  service, 
but  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  fill  a  lower  place.  It  is  only  that 
I  shall  be  as  a  common  soldier  instead  of  an  officer :  if  I  can 
but  serve  him,  let  him  choose  what  work  I  shall  do."  While 
upon  his  canvass  he  thus  writes  from  Bellfield : — 

"  June  4th. 

"  I  think  we  shall  have  a  contest  and  a  sharp  one,  and  the  result  is 
doubtful ;  however,  I  am  very  comfortable,  and  not  at  all  anxious.  If 
it  is  right  for  me  to  succeed,  I  do  not  doubt  I  shall ;  and  if  it  is  not  right, 
I  hope  I  shall  not.  I  should  return  to  privacy  and  the  dear  enjoyments 
of  my  own  family  without  disappointment  or  vexation,  and  I  think  per- 
sonally as  well  content  with  little  as  with  great  things.  Joseph,  in  our 
ride  from  Hampstead  to  London,  mentioned  a  text  which  has  been  a 
very  comfortable  companion  to  me.  '  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge 
Him.  and  He  will  direct  thy  paths.'  This  text,  and  another,  '  Thou 
wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace,  whose  heart  is  stayed  on  thee,'  are  con- 
stantly in  my  thoughts.  My  continual  prayer  is,  that  the  Lord  would 
work  that  termination  which  his  infinite  wisdom  knows  to  be  the  best ; 
which  is,  I  think,  very  probably  praying  against  my  own  success." 

"  June  8. 

"  I  am  easy  in  my  mind,  leaving  the  event  to  Him  who  knows  whether 
the  busy  engagements  of  a  public  life  will  draw  mo  nearer  to,  or  separate 
me  further  from  Him ;  and  who  also  knows  whether  He  chooses  me  as 
an  instrument  of  good  ;  and  if  lie  docs,  He  will  bring  the  means  used  to 
a  successful  issue." 


1818.]  CHOSEN  MEMBER  FOR  WEYMOUTH.  C7 

Elections  at  this  time  presented  very  different  scenes  from 
what  they  now  afford ;  and,  very  frequently,  the  voters  were 
anxious  to  decide  the  matter,  as  Irish  counsel  used  to  decide 
their  causes,  by  fighting  it  out.  This  was  so  much  the  case  at 
Weymouth,  that  Mr.  Buxton  was  obliged  to  entreat  his  friends 
to  use  moderation  towards  their  opponents.  "Beat  them,"  said 
he,  "  in  vigour,  beat  them  in  the  generous  exercise  of  high  prin- 
ciple— beat  them  in  disdain  of  corruption,  and  the  display  of  pure 
integrity  ;  but  do  not  beat  them  with  bludgeons." 

Four  days  before  the  election  terminated,  he  writes  : — 

"  June  26,  1818. 

"  I  am  very  nearly  sick  of  the  bustle,  and  my  expectations  of  success 
are  considerably  diminished  this  morning ;  but  this  is  only  my  own  opi- 
nion. I  am  exceedingly  popular  with  my  party,  except  as  to  one  point. 
We  (that  is  the  party,  for  I  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  it)  have  made 

some  most  bitter  attacks  upon  Sir for  his  conduct  in  Spain. 

But  when  I  heard  from  a  private  friend  of  his,  that  he  was  quite  sunk 
and  wretched,  I  expressed  in  my  speech  yesterday  the  disdain  I  felt  at 
promoting  my  cause  by  slander,  and  said,  that  as  he  had  been  acquitted 
by  a  competent  tribunal,  he  must  be  considered  as  innocent.  The  vio- 
lence of  my  party  could  hardly  bear  this,  and  for  the  first  time  they  gave 
some  indications  of  disapprobation.  I  told  them  plainly  that  I  would  do 
what  I  considered  an  act  of  public  justice,  though  it  offended  every  friend 
I  had  in  the  town." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON. 

"  June  29,  1818. 

"  The  election  is  over.  I  am  now  going  to  the  Hall  to  return  thanks 
to  my  constituents.  And  so  I  am  a  member  of  Parliament.  Well,  I 
have  not  yet  wished  to  decide  the  matter  myself.  My  only  feeling  has 
been,  if  it  is  right,  I  trust  it  will  take  place  ;  and  if  not,  I  equally  trust 
it  will  be  prevented.  I  wish  you  were  here  to  see  me  chaired.  The 
town  is  in  an  uproar.  The  bugle-horn  is  at  this  moment  playing,  and 
hundreds  of  persons  are  collected  on  the  Esplanade.  Everybody  has 
blue  ribbons.  I  hope  the  children  at  Hampstead  wear  them." 

Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney  writes  to  him  on  this  important  point  in  his 
career, — 

"  Norwich,  7  mo.  8th,  1818. 

"  My  dear  Brother, — My  congratulations  come  late,  which  has  arisen 
from  want  of  time,  not  of  interest.  I  have  seldom  felt  more  interested 
in  anything  than  in  thy  parliamentary  views.  Many  years  have  passed 

F  2 


G8  LETTER  ON  WHIG  PRINCIPLES.  [CHAP.  vr. 

over  our  heads  since  I  first  ex  pressed  my  opinion  to  thee,  that  Parliament 
would  be  thy  most  useful  and  desirable  field  of  action.  My  wishes  are 
now  accomplished  ;  and,  till  the  Parliament  meets,  I  shall  indulge  myself 
freely  in  pleasing  anticipations  of  thy  usefulness  and  thy  success.  Not 
to  flatter  thee,  thou  hast  some  qualities  which  fit  thee  admirably  well  for 

this  station Nor  have  I  any  fears  of  the  effect  of  a  public 

career  upon  thy  own  soul.  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  so  extended  a 
field  of  action  will  require  at  thy  hands  increased  watchfulness  and  great 
fidelity ;  but  I  am  sure  thy  judgment  is  too  sound,  and  thy  heart  too 
much  alive  to  the  dictates  of  plain  truth,  ever  to  allow  thee  to  be  puttied 
up  for  those  things  in  which  thou  hast  a  stewardship  indeed,  but  no  fee. 

'  Not  more  than  others  thou  deserv'st — 
But  God  has  given  thee  more.' 

Let  the  five  talents  become  ten,  and  the  ten,  twenty,  and  let  them  be 
rendered  up  at  last  from  hands  pure  and  undefiled,  to  Him  from  whom 
they  came  ! 

"  Nothing  is  more  beautiful  in  the  world  of  morals  than  the  great  man, 
in  talents,  who  is  the  little  child  in  religion.     .....     With  regard 

to  a  political  course  I  have  only  two  things  on  my  mind.  I  believe  that 
one  great  object  taken  up  upon  safe,  sound,  and  religious  grounds,  and 
pursued  with  unabating  and  unabatable  vigour,  is  a  much  better  thing  for 
a  man  of  talents,  who  is  willing  to  be  of  some  service  in  the  world,  than 
many  objects  pursued  without  accuracy,  without  perseverance,  and  with- 
out effect.  Thou  wilt,  of  course,  be  considered  by  everybody  as  the 
representative  of  the  prison  cause.  To  that  cause  thou  art  pledged.  But 
in  itself  it  will  not  afford  thee  sufficient  scope.  I  fully  believe  that  thy 
chief  aim  cannot  be  directed  to  any  object  so  worthy  of  all  thy  efforts  as 
the  amelioration  of  our  Criminal  Code.  It  is  a  glorious  cause  to  take  up. 
My  monitions  are,  I  dare  say,  very  pragmatical ;  nevertheless,  I  shall 
add  one  more.  Do  not  let  thy  independence  of  all  party  be  the  means 
of  leading  thee  away  from  sound  Whiyyism.  I  may  shortly  express  my 
opinion  that  there  is  a  great  work  going  on  in  the  world;  that  the  human 
mind,  under  the  safeguard  of  religious  education,  is  advancing  to  the 
shaking  off  of  many  of  its  trammels,  and  many  of  its  prejudices;  that 
society  is  at  present  in  a  state  of  much  corruption,  but  that,  if  this  work 
goes  on,  generation  after  generation  will  become  more  enlightened,  more 
virtuous,  and  more  happy ;  that  the  liberty  of  truth  will  prevail  over  every 
obstruction.  I  consider  this  progress  of  the  human  mind  perfectly  sale, 
as  long  as  it  takes  its  spring  from  the  unchangeable  and  most  reasonable 
principles  of  the  Christian  religion.  I  am  sure  that  these  principles  must 
ever  prevent,  in  those  on  whom  they  act,  any  steps  towards  wicked  inno- 
vation and  licentious  change.  But  let  us  not  admit  any  check  to  the 


1818.]  WISH  TO  DO  GOOD.  69 

progress  of  true  light,  whether  moral,  political,  or  religious;  and  let  us 
take  especial  care  to  avoid  the  spirit  of  Toryism ;  I  mean  that  spirit 
which  bears  the  worst  things  with  endless  apathy,  because  they  are  old; 
and  with  which  reason  and  even  humanity  arc  nothing,  and  the  authority 
of  creatures,  as  fallible  as  ourselves,  everything." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON. 

"  Hampstead,  Dec.  6,  1818. 

"*  *  *  I  have  passed  a  remarkably  comfortable  Sunday  ;  after  break- 
fast I  sat  down  to  Law's  Spirit  of  Prayer.  I  wonder  why  his  writings 
are  not  more  popular ;  there  is  about  them  a  warmth  and  a  liveliness  of 
persuasion,  combined  with  a  force  of  reason,  which  makes  them  very 
attractive  to  me.  We  then  went  to  Wheeler-street  Chapel,  where  Mr. 
Pratt  gave  us  one  of  his  best  sermons.  I  dare  say  any  other  person  of  the 
party  would  have  complained  of  their  distractions  if  they  had  only  been 
as  attentive  as  I  was  ;  but  compared  with  myself  in  general,  I  had  my 
mind  much  fixed  on  the  service,  and  was  much  struck  with  many  things 
in  the  Prayer  Book  which  I  have  read  a  thousand  times  without  notice. 
S.  Hoare  and  I  stayed  the  sacrament,  which  I  entered  into  more  I  think 
than  I  ever  did  before.  When  I  returned  to  my  seat  I  went  through  a 
kind  of  service  of  prayer,  which  I  by  practice  have  formed  ;  first  for 
myself,  that  I  may  press  forward  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the 
high  calling  of  Christ,  and  that  I  may  be  enabled  to  count  all  things  but 
loss  in  comparison  ;  next  that  I  may  be  led  to  useful  objects — that  I  may 
be  allowed  to  do  something  for  the  service  of  mankind ;  then  that  my 
motives  in  this  may  be  cleansed  and  purified,  and  that  I  may  act  as  unto 
the  Lord  and  not  unto  men.  Next,  for  protection  and  health,  and  the 
blessings  of  this  life — that  is,  if  they  are  to  conduce  to  my  good,  for  I  am 

afraid  to  ask  for  anything  absolutely The  point,  however, 

which  has  been  all  day  most  upon  my  mind  is  a  desire  that  I  may  work 
for  others  in  Christ ;  that  is,  that  His  Spirit  may  actuate  me  to  do  what 
good  I  can,  that  I  may  have  the  high  privilege  of  being  His  servant,  and 
that  the  performance  of  His  will,  and  not  the  applause  of  man,  may  be 
the  wages  I  seek.  This  verse  has  been  very  forcibly  before  my  mind  : 
— '  Never  turn  away  thy  face  from  any  poor  man,  and  then  the  Lord  will 
never  turn  away  his  face  from  thce.' 

"  You  will  hardly  believe  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the  day,  I  had  a 
kind  of  longing  for  Norwich  Meeting.  In  the  shape  of  religious  service, 
a  Friends'  Meeting,  with  Joseph  and  Priscilla  for  teachers,  is  the  most 

congenial  to  my  mind,  more  so  I  think  than  anything  else 

I  saw  Mr.  Pratt  after  church,  who  is  in  high  spirits,  and  says  that  a 
hundred  Blacks  in  Africa  are  true  Christians,  and  some  of  them  are  even 
missionaries." 


70  PLANS  FOR  THE  POOR.  [CHAP.  vi. 

"  Dec.  9. 

"  I  rode  to  Upton  to  breakfast  this  morning,  since  which  I  have  been 
engaged  in  some  important  calculations.  These,  however,  have  been 
interrupted  by  a  visit  from  the  manager  of  the  Friar's  Mount  School. 
He  gives  the  most  satisfactory  account  of  the  expenditure  of  the  money 
I  raised  for  them  last  year ;  two  new  schools  have  been  established,  and 
two,  which  were  about  to  be  given  up,  are  revived.  He  has  formed  a 
plan  by  which  six  thousand  children,  now  uneducated,  will  be  instructed. 
The  money  is  all  that  is  wanting,  viz.  4500/.,  and  I  think  I  shall  try. 
You  will  suppose  I  am  mad,  but  this  is  not  the  case.  Certainly  nothing 
of  a  charitable  nature,  in  which  I  have  ever  been  engaged,  has  given  me 
so  much  satisfaction  as  these  Sunday  Schools  ;  and  I  feel,  I  hope,  some 
gratitude  for  the  great  favour  of  being  allowed  to  be  an  instrument  of 
good  to  some  hundreds  of  children  during  the  past  year.  I  never  think 
of  these  schools  without  pleasure.  With  dearest  love  to  you  and  the 
children,  and  with  a  joyful  heart  at  the  expectation  of  meeting  you  and 
them, 

''Yours,  "T.  F.  BUXTON." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  commencement  of  the  year 
1818  he  had  determined  to  carry  out  several  plans  for  the  benefit 
of  the  poor  in  Spitalfields,  and  for  other  purposes  of  a  similar 
character.  In  a  paper  written  on  New  Year's  day,  1819,  he 
enters  very  fully  into  the  details  of  his  exertions  on  each  of  the 
five  tasks  he  had  set  himself,  not  one  of  which  had  been  neglected. 
The  first  of  them  had  been  "  to  write  a  pamphlet  on  Prison  Dis- 
cipline," and  after  alluding  to  the  unexpected  success  of  his  work 
on  that  subject,  he  adds, — 

"  It  has  excited  a  spirit  of  inquiry  on  the  subject,  which  I  trust  will 
do  much  good.  I  only  hope  that  what  has  benefited  others  has  not 
injured  me.  1  cannot  render  myself  insensible  to  the  applause  it  has 
received.  In  my  heart,  however,  I  know  that  it  is  no  work  of  mine,  but 
that  the  Lord  has  been  pleased,  in  great  mercy,  to  make  me  one  of  his 
instruments  in  this  work.  Lord,  I  entreat  thee,  in  this  and  in  all  things, 
to  purify  my  motives,  and  to  enable  me  to  act  as  unto  theo.  and  not  unto 
man.  Oh  !  guard  my  heart  from  the  delusions  of  vanity.  Make  me  to 
know  how  frail  and  powerless  I  am  in  myself,  and  to  cherish  with  grati- 
tude, but  with  humility,  the  inestimable  privilege  of  being  in  any  way 
thy  servant." 

The  paper  closes  vvitli  the  following  reflections  upon  the  burden 
of  responsibility  which  he  had  lately  undertaken.  It  is  interest- 


1819.]          THOUGHTS  ON  ENTERING  PARLIAMENT.  71 

ing  to  see  in  what  spirit  he  entered  that  arena,  on  which  he  was 
for  twenty  years  to  fight  the  battle  of  the  oppressed. 

"  Now  that  I  am  a  member  of  Parliament,  I  feel  earnest  for  the 
honest,  diligent,  and  conscientious  discharge  of  the  duty  I  have  under- 
taken. My  prayer  is  for  the  guidance  of  God's  Holy  Spirit,  that,  free 
from  views  of  gain  or  popularity, — that,  careless  of  all  things  but  fidelity 
to  my  trust,  I  may  be  enabled  to  do  some  good  to  my  country,  and 
something  for  mankind,  especially  in  their  most  important  concerns.  I 
feel  the  responsibility  of  the  situation,  and  its  many  temptations.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  see  the  vast  good  which  one  individual  may  do.  May 
God  preserve  me  from  the  snares  which  may  surround  me  ;  keep  me 
from  the  power  of  personal  motives,  from  interest  or  passion,  or  prejudice 
or  ambition,  and  so  enlarge  my  heart  to  (eel  the  sorrows  of  the  wretched, 
the  miserable  condition  of  the  guilty  and  the  ignorant,  that  I  may  '  never 
turn  my  face  from  any  poor  man ;'  and  so  enlighten  my  understanding,' 
that  I  may  be  a  capable  and  resolute  champion,  for  those  who  want  and 
deserve  a  friend." 

Upon  first  taking  his  seat  in  Parliament,  his  attention  was  ex- 
clusively directed  to  the  different  forms  of  judicial  punishment. 
In  the  beginning  of  1819  he  took  part  in  two  or  three  debates 
upon  the  subject  of  convict  transport  ships,  the  state  of  which 
was  proved  by  Mr.  Bennett  and  other  members  to  be  horrible  in 
the  last  degree  ;  still  the  reformation  of  prisons  was  the  subject 
nearest  to  his  heart. 

TO  J.  J.  GURNET,  ESQ. 

"  Feb.  25,  1819. 

"  When  I  last  spoke  (on  the  state  of  convict  ships)  there  was  no  cry 
of  question,  but,  on  the  contrary,  marked  attention:  but  alas!  most  un- 
deserved, for,  like  a  blockhead,  I  rose,  having  nothing  to  say,  without 
a  moment's  premeditation.  This  has  mortified  me,  which  proves  that 
my  motives  are  not  purified  from  selfish  desires  of  reputation  ;  and  that 
all  my  anxiety  is,  not  eagerness  for  the  reform  of  prisons  and  the  penal 
code,  but,  in  truth,  debased  and  alloyed  by  a  desire  for  the  reputation  of 
T.  F.  B.  I  despise  this  vanity.  On  Monday  next  comes  on  the  ques- 
tion of  prisons;  on  Tuesday,  the  question  of  the  penal  code.  On  the 
latter  I  shall  speak  with  my  arguments  and  facts  clearly  before  me.  If 
I  then  fail,  the  failure  is  final— I  may  serve  the  cause  as  a  labourer,  but 
neither  this,  nor  any  other,  as  an  advocate — and  we  must  be  satisfied. 
I  endeavour  to  divest  my  mind  of  too  much  carefulness  about  the  matter, 
persuaded  that,  whatever  the  event  may  be,  that  event  is  right  both  for 
me  and  for  the  cause." 


72  SPEECH  ON  CRIMINAL  LAW.  [CHAP.  vr. 

On  the  1st  of  March  Lord  Castlereagh's  motion  for  a  com- 
mittee to  inquire  into  the  state  of  Prison  Discipline  was  carried, 
and  on  the  next  evening  a  motion  for  a  committee  on  the  Cri- 
minal laws  was  made  by  Sir  James  Mackintosh,  and  seconded  by 
Mr.  Buxton,  whose  speech  met  with  success  abundantly  sufficient 
to  dispel  his  fears  of  uselessness  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

He  began  by  demonstrating  that  the  capital  code  then  existing 
was  not  a  part  of,  but  an  innovation  on,  the  ancient  common  law  ; 
that,  indeed,  the  greater  part  of  these  capital  enactments  had 
been  made  within  the  memory  of  man.  "  There  are  persons 
living,"  he  said,  "  at  whose  birth  the  Criminal  Code  contained 
less  than  sixty  capital  offences,  and  who  have  seen  that  number 
quadrupled, — who  have  seen  an  Act  pass,  making  offences  capital 
by  the  dozen  and  by  the  score  ;  and  what  is  worse,  bundling  up 
together  offences,  trivial  and  atrocious, — some,  nothing  short  of 
murder  in  malignity  of  intention,  and  others,  nothing  beyond  a 
civil  trespass, — I  say,  bundling  together  this  ill-sorted  and  incon- 
gruous package,  and  stamping  upon  it  '  death  without  benefit  of 
clergy.'  " 

His  speech,  the  chief  merit  of  which  lay  in  the  lucid  and 
logical  arrangement  of  a  large  mass  of  facts,  tended  to  show 
that  the  law,  by  declaring  that  "  certain  crimes  should  be  punished 
with  death,  had  declared  that  they  should  not  be  punished  at  all. 
The  bow  had  been  bent,  till  it  had  snapped  asunder.  The  acts 
which  were  intended  to  prevent  evil  had  proved  acts  of  indemnity 
and  free  pardon  to  the  fraudulent  and  the  thief,  and  acts  of  ruin 
and  destruction  to  many  a  fair  trader." 

TO  J.  J.  GURXEY,  ESQ. 

"  Brick  Lane,  March  4,  1819. 

"  Well,  the  effort  is  over.  Last  night  came  on  the  grand  question. 
I  spoke  for  nearly  an  hour.  I  was  low  and  dispirited,  and  much  tired 
(bodily)  when  I  rose.  I  cannot  say  I  pleased  myself.  I  could  not,  at 
first,  get  that  freedom  of  language  which  is  so  essential,  but  I  rose  with 
the  cheers  of  the  House,  and  contrived  to  give  much  of  what  was  on  my 
mind.  Everybody  seems  to  have  taken  a  more  favourable  opinion  of 
the  speech  than  I  did.  The  facts  were  irresistible:  and,  for  fear  of 
tiring  my  auditors,  I  confined  myself  principally  to  facts.  You  will  see 
by  the  papers  that  we  obtained  a  victory.  As  for  myself,  I  hope  1  did 


1819.]  ENCOURAGING  SUCCESS.  73 

force  myself  into  something  like  indifference  to  my  own  success,  pro- 
vided the  cause  succeeded." 


TO  THE  REV.  FRANCIS  CUNNINGHAM. 

"March  4,  1819. 

u  I  made  a  long  speech  yesterday,  with  which  the  House  seemed 
very  well  satisfied.  I  am  on  both  the  committees,  for  prisons  and  penal 
law,  and  so  shall  have  enough  to  do.  I  however  rejoice  that  I  am  in 
the  House,  for  it  is  well  worth  while  to  sacrifice  money,  time,  pleasure, 
everything  except  eternity,  to  such  important  objects.  I  often  think 
of  your  advice,  and  wish  for  more  of  it.  Last  night  I  was  meditating 
upon  speeches,  compliments,  &c.,  and  this  reflection  rushed  upon  my 
mind :  '  And  what  of  all  these,  if  I  forsake  this  book,  the  Bible  ?'  I 
am  writing  in  a  little  room  full  of  about  twenty  members,  all  talking, 
so  excuse  errors,  and  everything  else." 

At  the  close  of  the  debate  many  of  the  most  distinguished 
members  of  the  House  came  up  and  introduced  themselves  to 
him  ;  Mr.  S.  Hoare  sat  under  the  gallery,  watching,  with  delight, 
the  success  of  his  friend.  "  I  am  sure,"  said  he  afterwards, 
"  if  I  had  been  received  in  the  House  as  he  was,  I  should  not 
have  recovered  from  the  elevating  effect  of  it  for  twenty  years." 

But  the  opinion  of  an  impartial  observer  may  be  more  valuable. 
Mr.  "W.  Smith  (M.P.  for  Norwich)  writes  to  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney — 

"  You  will  see  the  result  of  last  night's  debate  by  the  papers. 
Buxton  acquitted  himself  to  universal  satisfaction.  The  House  is  pre- 
pared to  receive  him  with  respect  and  kindness  ;  and  his  sterling  sense, 
his  good  language,  and  his  earnest  manner,  fully  keep  up  the  prepos- 
session in  his  favour,  so  that  I  recollect  very  few  who  have  made  their 
debut  with  so  much  real  advantage,  and  seem  so  likely  to  maintain  the 
station  thus  early  assumed." 

If  we  have  dwelt  at  some  length  upon  the  success  of  this  early 
effort  in  Parliament,  it  has  not  been  from  any  wish  to  give  his 
speeches  more  credit  than  they  deserved.  Their  eloquence  was 
less  remarkable  than  their  force;  they  were  deeply  stamped  with 
his  own  character,  which,  as  Mr.  Wilberforce  orice  remarked,  was 
that  of  "  a  man  who  could  hew  a  statue  out  of  a  rock,  but  not  cut 
faces  upon  cherry-stones." 

His  speeches  were  not  sparkling  or  splendid  ;  their  end  was 
utility  ;  their  ornaments,  clearness,  force,  and  earnest  feeling. 


74  THE  PRISON  BILL.  [CHAP.  vi. 

He  was  not  one  of  those  orators,  described  by  Lord  Bacon,  "  that 
hunt  more  after  words  than  matter,  arid  more  after  the  choiceness 
of  the  phrase,  the  sweet  falling  of  the  clauses,  and  the  varying 
and  illustration  of  their  works  with  tropes  and  figures,  than  after 
the  weight  of  matter,  worth  of  subject,  or  soundness  of  argument." 
He  usually  bestowed  much  care  in  preparation  ;  not  in  embellish- 
ing the  style,  but  in  bringing  together  supplies  of  facts,  and 
marshalling  them  in  one  strong  line  of  argument.  Speaking,  as 
he  did,  from  the  heart,  and  for  the  most  part  on  subjects  which 
appealed  to  the  feelings  as  well  as  to  the  judgment,  he  sometimes 
rose  into  passages  of  impassioned  declamation  ;  occasionally  there 
was  a  burst  of  indignation,  and  not  unfrequently  a  touch  of 
playful  satire  ;  but  the  usual  character  of  his  oratory  was  a  lucid 
and  powerful  appeal  to  the  reason  of  his  audience. 

In  accordance  with  the  motions  on  the  1st  and  3rd  of  March, 
two  select  committees  were  appointed,  in  both  of  which  Mr. 
Buxton  was  included.  The  one  was  to  inquire  into  the  feasi- 
bility of  mitigating  the  Penal  Code,  of  which  he  writes,  March 
llth,  1819— 

"  I  conjecture  that  no  man  on  the  committee  goes  so  far  as  I  go — 
namely,  to  the  abolition  of  the  punishment  of  death,  except  for  murder ; 
but  all  go  a  very  great  way,  and  if  we  merely  make  forgery,  sheep  and 
horse  stealing,  not  capital,  it  is  an  annual  saving  of  thirty  lives,  which 
is  something,  and  satisfies  me  in  devoting  my  time  to  the  subject.  I  am 
confident  that  our  opinions  on  prisons  and  Criminal  law  will  ultimately 
prevail  ;  in  short,  I  am  in  high  spirits  on  the  whole  matter." 

The  other  committee  was  appointed  to  examine  the  state  of 
gaols  throughout  the  kingdom  ;  and  here  we  may  briefly  state  the 
final  result  of  the  exertions  made  for  the  improvement  of  Prison 
Discipline.  The  committee  published  its  first  report  in  1820, 
and  the  government  was  thereby  induced  to  bring  in  a  bill  for 
consolidating  and  amending  the  prison  laws  then  in  existence. 
This  bill  was  referred  for  revision  to  a  select  committee,  of  which 
Mr.  Buxton  was  a  member. 

"You  will  be  delighted,"  he  writes  soon  afterwards  to  a  friend,  "to 
hear  that  the  Prison  Bill  is  going  on  wonderfully  well,  beyond  ;ill  ex- 
pectation. I  made  a  speech  the  first  day,  stating  the  principles  on 
which  I  thought  we  ought  to  proceed,  and  the  committee  have  subse- 


1819.]  THE  PRISON  BILL.  75 

quently  adopted  almost  all  of  them  ;  so  that  I  do  believe  that  this  part 
of  the  business  of  my  life  will  be  done  effectually." 

After  much  patient  investigation,  a  bill  was  prepared  by  the 
committee,  and  immediately  adopted  by  the  two  Houses  of  Par- 
liament;  and  thus  the  English  gaols,  instead  of  remaining  "the 
nurseries  and  hotbeds  of  crime,  the  almost  inevitable  ruin  of  all 
who  entered  within  their  walls,"  have  become,  generally  speaking, 
places  where  the  improvement  as  well  as  the  punishment  of  the 
criminal  is  attempted.  Perfection,  of  course,  is  not  yet  attained  ; 
the  new  system  has  been  of  no  avail  in  those  prisons  where  exer- 
tions have  not  been  used  to  enforce  it :  but  no  man  can  read  the 
descriptions  of  the  state  of  gaols,  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  years 
ago,  and  compare  them  with  those  of  the  present  day,  without 
being  astonished  at  the  extent  of  the  evil  and  of  the  reform. 

JOHN  HENRY  NORTH,  ESQ.,  TO  T.  FOWELL  BUXTOX,  ESQ. 

"  Dublin,  April  14,  1819. 

"During  the  whole  of  the  last  Circuit,  which  is  just  terminated,  I 
was  seized  with  an  inexpressible  longing  to  write  you  an  interminable 
epistle,  but  the  labours  of  Nisi  Prius  forbade,  and,  now  that  they  are  at 
an  end,  I  have  begun  to  think  that,  with  the  whole  criminal  law  upon 
your  hands,  your  prisons,  penitentiaries,  and  '  Colony  of  Antipodes,' 
you  will  be  better  pleased  to  receive  a  moderate  letter  than  one  of 
overgrown  dimensions.  I  hope  I  need  not  tell  you  with  what  exceeding 
pleasure  I  read  your  admirable  book,  or  how  delighted  I  was  with  the 
praises  that  were  everywhere  bestowed  upon  it.  It  has  done  you  infinite 
honour.  The  general  language  applied  to  it  here  is,  that  it  is  the  most 
interesting  book  that  has  been  published  for  many  years.  I  had  some 
satisfaction,  too,  in  observing  a  few  little  traits  by  which  the  author  dis- 
covered himself  to  me  immediately.  The  zeal  that  your  exertions  have 
excited  in  this  country,  on  the  subject  of  prisons,  is  really  surprising. 
We  have  now  a  society  in  Dublin,  for  the  improvement  of  prison  dis- 
cipline, of  wh'ch  I  am  an  unworthy  member.  Here  is  a  committee  of 
ladies,  who  visit  Bridewell  in  turns  every  day,  and  who  have  in  a  very 
short  time  effected  considerable  improvement,  and  their  example  has 
been  followed  in  some  of  our  country  towns.  At  the  last  Galway 
Assizes,  Judge  Johnson,  in  his  charge  to  the  Grand  Jury,  recommended 
this  plan,  and  alluded  to  your  book  and  Mrs.  Fry's  exertions  in  terms 
of  the  highest  approbation.  It  will  gratify  you  to  find  that  the  seed 
which  you  have  scattered  has  fallen  upon  good  ground." 


70  PARLIAMENTARY  ELOQUENCE.  [CHAP.  vr. 

Mr.  Buxton  replies. 

s 

TO  J.  H.  NORTH,  ESQ. 

"  April  19,  1819. 

"  A  report  has  reached  me  that  you  are  likely  to  get  a  seat  in  Par- 
liament. Is  there  a  bit  of  truth  in  it  ?  Is  there  the  remotest  probability 
of  so  joyful  an  event  ?  Pray  do  not  conceal  it  from  me  a  moment,  for 
I  speak  only  truth  when  I  say  it  would  materially  add  to  my  happiness. 
I  have  plenty  of  acquaintance,  but  hardly  a  familiar  friend  in  the  House, 
and  this  is  a  very  needful  thing.  I  much  want  some  one  with  whom  I 
can  freely  communicate,  and  who  would  honestly  tell  me  when  I  am 
right  and  when  I  am  in  error ;  and  I  need  not  tell  you  how  fully  my 
wishes  would  be  satisfied  if  we  were  there  together.  Perhaps  you  will 
like  to  hear  the  impression  the  House  makes  upon  me.  I  do  not  wonder 
that  so  many  distinguished  men  have  failed  in  it.  The  speaking  re- 
quired is  of  a  very  peculiar  kind  :  the  House  loves  good  sense  and 
joking,  and  nothing  else ;  and  the  object  of  its  utter  aversion  is  that 
species  of  eloquence  which  may  be  called  Philippian.  There  are  not 
three  men  from  whom  a  fine  simile  or  sentiment  would  be  tolerated  ;  all 
attempts  of  the  kind  are  punished  with  general  laughter.  An  easy  flow 
of  sterling,  forcible,  plain  sense  is  indispensable  ;  and  this,  combined 
with  great  powers  of  sarcasm,  gives  Brougham  his  station.  Canning  is 
an  exception  to  this  rule.  His  reasoning  is  seldom  above  mediocrity  ; 
but  then  it  is  recommended  by  language  so  wonderfully  happy,  by  a 
manner  so  exquisitely  elegant,  and  by  wit  so  clear,  so  pungent,  and  so 
unpremeditated,  that  he  contrives  to  beguile  the  House  of  its  austerity. 
Tierney  has  never  exerted  himself  much  in  my  hearing.  Wilberforce 
has  more  native  eloquence  than  any  of  them,  but  he  takes  no  pains,  and 
allows  himself  to  wander  from  his  subject :  he  holds  a  very  high  rank 
in  the  estimation  of  the  House. 

"  And  now  let  me  tell  you  a  secret;  these  great  creatures  turn  out, 
when  viewed  closely,  to  be  but  men,  and  men  with  whom  you  need  not 
fear  competition.  I  again,  therefore,  say  '  Come  among  us,'  and  I  shall 
be  greatly  deceived  if  you  do  not  hold  a  foremost  place. 

"My  line  is  distinctly  drawn.  I  care  but  little  about  party  politics. 
I  vote  as  I  like ;  sometimes  pro,  and  sometimes  con  ;  but  I  feel  the 
greatest  interest  on  subjects  sucli  as  the  Slave  Trade,  the  condition  of 
the  poor,  prisons,  and  Criminal  law  :  to  these  I  devote  myself,  and 
should  be  quite  content  never  to  give  another  vote  upon  a  party  ques- 
tion. I  am  upon  the  Jail  and  Criminal  law  committees,  and  devote 
three  mornings  in  the  week  to  one,  and  three  to  the  other ;  so  1  am 
contented,  and  feel  as  little  inclination,  as  ability,  to  engage  in  political 
contentions.  My  body  is  strong  enough,  but  any  stress  upon  my  mind, 


1819.]  MR.  NORTH.  77 

just  now,  deranges  me  instantly.  '  Indolent  vacuity  of  thought '  is  my 
only  remedy ;  but  it  is  not  a  very  convenient  medicine  for  one  who  has 
such  a  multitude  of  engagements.  How  fares  the  law  ?  Is  Ireland 
blessed  with  abundant  litigation,  or  does  poverty  deny  this,  the  chief  of 
luxuri 

"Never  mind  discouragements.  If  you  live  and  labour,  you  must 
stand  in  the  front  of  that  society  in  which  you  may  be  placed,  be  it 
the  Dublin  Courts,  or  St.  Stephen's.  So  I  have  always  thought  and 
said,  and  so  I  still  think  and  say.  I  wish  you  were  with  us.  I  know 
you  will  be  a  Tory  :  you  always  were  one  in  heart,  and  your  wife  will 
make  you  still  worse :  but  we  will  contrive  to  agree  together,  for  I  am 
not  a  Whig.  I  am  one  of  those  amphibious  nondescripts  called  Neu- 
trals ;  but  how  can  I  be  anything  else  ?  I  cannot  reconcile  to  myself 
the  doctrine  of  going  with  a  party  right  or  wrong.  I  feel  with  you  that 
my  objects  would  prosper  much  better  if  [I  sat  behind  the  Treasury 
Bench ;  but  then  I  must  often  vote  against  my  convictions ;  i.  e.,  do 
wrong  that  right  may  come ;  and  I  do  not  feel  this  to  be  my  duty,  even 
for  prisons  and  Criminal  law.  Has  Wyndham  Quin's  business  made 
much  noise  in  Ireland  ?  It  occupied  about  a  week  of  our  time,  and  the 
House  were  so  amused  they  would  do  nothing  else.  Smith's  evidence 
was  excellent,  and  true  ;  for  Gould's  there  are  more  appropriate  phrases. 
Plunkett  made  a  speech  which  did  not  please  the  House  :  it  was  special 
pleading,  which  they  hate." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTOX. 

"  Weymouth,  August  15,  1819. 

.  .  .  .  "  I  suppose  M.  has  given  you  a  full  account  of  our  travels. 
During  the  first  ten  miles  I  did  not  quite  recover  my  composure,  nor 
forget  the  horror  I  experienced  at  the  rape  of  my  apples.  All  the 
remainder  of  the  journey  was  very  pleasant.  We  read  diligently,  though 
with  a  lew  intervals  for  conversation.  Our  book  was  Lord  Russell's 
Life.  No  wonder  his  friends  admired  him,  and  his  wife  adored  him  ; 
he  was  the  noblest  of  all  the  nobles  I  ever  read  of.  His  intrepidity 
and  gaiety  in  the  prospect  of  death  are  unrivalled.  A  man  of  the  name 
of  Rich,  who  packed  the  jury,  and  thus  caused  Lord  Russell's  condem- 
nation, had  formerly  belonged  to  his  party,  and  had  deserted  to  the 
Court.  He  brought  down  the  death-warrant  to  Newgate  :  when  he 
was  gone,  Lord  Russell  said  to  Burnett,  '  I  felt  a  great  mind  to  tell 
Rich  (only  it  is  indecent  to  joke  in  these  matters)  that  he  and  I  should 
never  sit  again  together  in  the  House  of  Commons  to  vote  for  the  ex- 
clusion of  the  Duke  of  York.'  Perhaps  you  will  not  much  admire  this 
anecdote,  but  it  is  quite  charming  to  me ;  it  shows  a  mind  so  entirely  at 
ease. 


78  INDEPENDENT  PRINCIPLES.  [CHAP.  vi. 

"  Here  I  am  continually  in  the  air,  and  certainly  have  already  found 
the  benefit  of  it.  I  rode  this  morning  for  two  hours  on  the  Wyke 
sands  before  breakfast.  I  have  determined  not  to  canvass,  but  to  be 
constantly  walking  about :  the  worst  of  it  is,  I  do  not  know  above  a 
third  of  their  faces,  and  the  names  of  about  one  in  a  hundred,  so  I  am 
in  momentary  danger  of  grasping  the  hand,  and  inquiring  with  the 
kindest  solicitude  after  the  welfare  of  the  wife  and  family  of  a  man  who 

never  saw  Weymouth  before  in  his  life Weymouth  is  a  striking 

place  in  one  respect ;  it  brings  me  into  contact  with  some  whose  course 
is  nothing  short  of  tremendous,  and  this  trying  question  always  recurs  : 
'  You  know  better  things ;  by  mercy  you  have  been  led  into  other 
society,  and  the  truth  has  been  discovered  to  your  judgment  upon  the 
comparison  of  this  world  and  eternity;  then  is  your  course  as  much 
superior  to  theirs  as  your  light  is — in  short,  with  all  the  instruction 
and  knowledge  given  you,  are  you  seeking  heaven  with  your  whole 
heart  ?' " 

In  November  the  riot  which  had  taken  place  at  Manchester, 
and  the  severe  measures  to  which  the  magistrates  of  that  city 
had  resorted,  were  brought  before  Parliament.  Before  the 
debate  Mr.  Buxton  writes: — 

TO  HIS  UNCLE,  CHARLES  BUXTON,  ESQ.,  AT  BELLF1ELD. 

"  Nov.  1819. 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you  in  reprobating  the  Radicals.  I  am  per- 
suaded that  their  object  is  the  subversion  of  religion  and  the  constitu- 
tion, and  I  shall  be  happy  to  vote  for  any  measure  by  which  the 
exertions  of  their  leaders  may  be  suppressed,  but  I  fear  we  shall  much 
differ  as  to  the  nature  of  those  measures.  I  most  strongly  condemn  the 
conduct  of  the  magistrates  at  Manchester,  and  I  equally  condemn  the 
conduct  of  the  ministers  in  giving  them  public  thanks  ;  and  I  think, 
in  justice  as  well  as  in  common  prudence,  that  wretched  affair  ought  to 
be  strictly  scrutinised,  and  it  will  be  very  awkward  if  it  should  turn 
out  that  these  magistrates,  having  been  thanked,  deserve  to  be 
punished. 

"  You  will  believe  that  I  did  not  pass  over,  without  due  attention, 
your  remark—'  I  shall  feel  much  disappointed  and  vexed  if  you  do  not 
exert  yourself,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  give  great  offence  to  most  of  your 
Weymouth  friends.'  I  think  you  must  know  how  sincerely  sorry  I 
should  be  to  vex  and  disappoint  you,  and  I  am  not  indifferent  to  the 
goodwill  of  my  Weymouth  friends;  but  it  would  be  the  most  con- 
temptible baseness  in  me,  if  I  were  to  allow  the  fear  of  giving  offence 
to  operate  on  my  conduct. 


1819.]  DEBATE  ON  THE  MANCHESTER  RIOT.  79 

"  When  I  entered  Parliament,  I  determined  to  allow  no  personal 
consideration,  of  any  description,  to  influence  my  votes ;  and  on  this 
occasion  I  do  hope  I  shall  not  shrink  from  doing  my  duty,  whatever 
may  be  the  point  to  which  that  duty  appears  to  lead. 

"  I  go  to  London  to-morrow,  and  I  wish  you  could  contrive  to  come 
there  now.  I  doubt  not  we  could  manage  to  agree  very  well,  in  spite 
of  Radicals  and  Ministers." 

TO  J.  J.  GCRNEY,  ESQ. 

"  Nov.  25,  1819.    ' 

"  I  must  give  you  a  line  to  tell  you  how  things  have  gone  on  in  the 
House.  We  have  had  a  wonderful  debate ;  really  it  has  raised  my  idea 
of  the  capacity  and  ingenuity  of  the  human  mind.  All  the  leaders 
spoke,  and  almost  all  outdid  themselves.  But  Burdett  stands  first ;  his 
speech  was  absolutely  the  finest,  and  the  clearest,  and  the  fairest  dis- 
play of  masterly  understanding  that  ever  I  heard  ;  and  with  shame  I 
ought  to  confess  it,  he  did  not  utter  a  sentence  to  which  I  could  not 
agree.  Canning  was  second  ;  if  there  be  any  difference  between  elo- 
quence and  sense,  this  was  the  difference  between  him  and  Burdett. 
He  was  exquisitely  elegant,  and  kept  the  tide  of  reason  and  argument, 
irony,  joke,  invective,  and  declamation  flowing,  without  abatement,  for 
nearly  three  hours.  Plunkett  was  third  ;  he  took  hold  of  poor  Mackin- 
tosh's argument,  and  griped  it  to  death  ;  ingenious,  subtle,  yet  clear  and 
bold,  and  putting  with  the  most  logical  distinctness  to  the  House  the 
errors  of  his  antagonist.  Next  came  Brougham — and  what  do  you  think 
of  a  debate  in  which  the  fourth  man  could  keep  alive  the  attention  of 
the  House  from  three  to  five  in  the  morning,  after  a  twelve  hours'  de- 
bate ?  Now,  what  was  the  impression  made  on  my  mind,  you  will  ask. 
First,  I  voted  with  ministers  because  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  subject 
the  Manchester  magistrates  to  a  parliamentary  inquiry ;  but  nothing  has 
shaken  my  convictions  that  the  magistrates,  ministers,  and  all,  have  done 
exceedingly  wrong.  I  am  clear  I  voted  right;  and,  indeed,  I  never 
need  have  any  doubts  when  I  vote  with  ministers,  the  bias  being  on 
the  other  side.  Did  the  debate  inflame  my  ambition  ?  Why,  in  one 
sense,  it  did.  It  convinced  me  that  I  have  the  opportunity  of  being  a 
competitor  on  the  greatest  arena  that  ever  existed  ;  but  it  also  taught 
me  that  success  in  such  a  theatre  is  only  for  those  who  will  devote  their 
lives  to  it.  Perhaps  you  will  admire  the  presumption  which  entertains 
even  the  possibility  of  success.  I  am,  I  believe,  rather  absurd  ;  but  I 
hold  a  doctrine  to  which  I  owe — not  much,  indeed,  but  all  the  little 
success  I  ever  had, — viz.,  that  with  ordinary  talents  and  extraordinary 
ranee  all  things  are  attainable.  And  give  me  ten  years  in  age, 
ten  times  my  constitution,  and  oblivion  of  the  truth  which  paralyses 


80  ON  SELF-DEDICATION.  [CHAP.VI. 

many  an  exertion  of  mine,  that  '  vanity  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity,'  and 
especially  that  fame  is  so,— I  say,  give  me  these  things,  and  I  should 
not  despair  of  parliamentary  reputation ;  but  to  one  who  cannot  bear 
fatigue  of  mind,  who  loves  sporting  better  than  glory,  who  will  not 
enlist  under  the  banners  of  party, — to  such  a  being  fame  is  absolutely 
forbidden.  I  am  well  content ;  I  cannot  expect  the  commodity  for 
which  I  will  not  pay  the  price. 

"  So  far  I  scribbled  yesterday,  and  then  I  went  to  the  levee.*  *  *  The 
rooms  were  tolerably  splendid  ;  but,  upon  the  whole,  I  never  was  less 
attracted  by  anything  than  courtiership,  and  would  not  be  obliged  to 
attend  regularly  for  all  the  ribbons  of  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow. 
At  dinner,  afterwards,  I  had  a  great  deal  of  conversation  with  the  two 
Grants,  Denman,  and  the  Attorney-General,  and  then  I  went  home 
with  Wilberforce,  and  spent  a  most  pleasant  evening.  His  family 
prayers  were  nothing  short  of  delightful.  I  hope  I  shall  see  him  a 
good  deal  while  I  am  in  town. 

"  P.S.  Bootle  Wilbraham  (who  is  a  Lancaster  magistrate)  was  de- 
fending his  brethren  in  the  debate,  but  did  it  in  so  low  a  tone  of  voice 
that  nobody  could  hear  him  ;  somebody  whispered  about,  that  lie  was 
reading  the  Riot  Act." 

The  following  letter  was  addressed  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Forster, 
whose  husband  was  preparing  to  go  to  America,  on  what  the 
Society  of  Friends  term  "  a  religious  visit  "  to  the  members  of 
their  community. 

"  Earlham,  1819. 

"  My  dear  Sister, — Your  letter  has  been  much  upon  my  mind,  and  has 
raised  a  variety  of  feelings.  The  first  impression  was  one  of  much 
sorrow,  that  your  plans  and  prospects  of  home  happiness  should  be 
interrupted,  and  for  so  long  a  time;  but  I  must  confess,  I  have  been 
speedily  almost  reconciled  to  it ;  that  is,  I  have  brought  it  home  to  my 
own  mind,  and  have  considered,  whether  it  would  not  really  be  the  greatest 
of  blessings,  if  by  any  means  my  duty  would  call  me  to  such  a  sacrifice, 
and  the  call  were  not  to  be  disobeyed.  After  all,  it  is  a  noble  thing — 
it  is  the  noblest  of  all  things — to  be  permitted  to  be  a  servant  of  the 
Infinite  Ruler  of  the  world ;  and  how  low  and  earthly  is  that  wisdom 
which  could  prefer  any  delights  before  the  delights  of  such  self-dedication ! 
We  know  but  few  things  for  certain ;  but  this  is  one  of  them ; — a 
promise  is  given  to  him,  who  leaves  father  or  mother,  or  wifo  or 
children,  for  Christ's  sake.  How  can  I  mourn  then,  that  William 
should  accept  the  terms  of  such  a  promise  ?  I  rejoice  that  he  is  counted 
worthy  to  suffer  for  Christ's  sake.  I  have  always  felt  particularly 
interested  with  the  vision  of  the  man  of  Macedonia,  calling  Paul  to  come 


1819.]  ON  SELF-DEDICATION.  81 

over  and  help  them,  comparing  it  with  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians. 
The  discouragements  at  first  were  so  great,  and  yet  the  Epistle  de- 
scribes such  an  abundant  and  happy  produce.  Who  can  tell  how  many 
may  have  eternal  reason  to  rejoice  at  the  obedience  of  the  Apostle,  and 
who  can  presume  to  limit  the  effect  which  Providence  may  please  to 
produce  by  William's  visit?  We  may  differ  on  some  points,  but  not 
on  this — that  his  call  is  from  above.  I  am  persuaded  it  has  been 
sought  in  the  right  spirit.  I  believe  it  is  sent  in  mercy  to  others — in 
eminent  mercy  to  him  and  to  you ;  and  I  am  willing  that  you  should 
undergo  the  pains  of  separation.  But,  my  dear  Anna,  you  must  not 
imagine  I  am  indifferent  about  this.  Let  me  ask,  Have  you  determined 
to  remain  behind  ?  I  do  not  give  an  opinion  upon  the  subject.  All  I 
wish  to  express  is,  that  you  must  not  stay  from  motives  of  economy. 
...  .Of  course,  we  shall  see  you  before  his  departure.  I  will  hear  of 
nothing  else.  With  love  to  you  both,  and  not  without  thankfulness 
that  there  is  something  of  a  missionary  spirit  among  you, 

"  I  am  your  affectionate  brother, 

"  T.  F.  BUXTON." 


82  DISSOLUTION  OF  PARLIAMENT.  [CHAP.  vir. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

1820,  182L 

Election  —  Domestic  Afflictions  —  Letters  —  Cromer  Hall  —  Priscilla 
Gurney  —  Correspondence  —  Speech  on  Criminal  Law. 

AT  the  commencement  of  the  year  1820,  Mr.  Buxton  thus 
enumerates  the  subjects  which  he  hoped  to  accomplish  in  the 
course  of  the  year : — "  First ;  to  assist,  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
in  Parliament,  to  amend  our  Criminal  Code  ;  and,  secondly,  to 
amend  our  prisons.  Thirdly  ;  to  obtain  a  return  of  the  number 
of  widows  who  burn  themselves  at  their  husbands'  funeral 
in  India,  preparatory  to  a  law  prohibiting  such  enormities. 
Fourthly  ;  to  establish  a  fund  for  supporting  the  Sunday-schools 
(on  the  plan  of  that  at  Friar's  Mount)  in  Spitalfields."  He 
then  mentions,  that  his  thoughts  had  been  principally  engaged 
upon  the  Criminal  Code,  till  incapacitated  for  study  by  an 
attack  of  illness,  his  health  having  been  indifferent  for  some 
months  previously. 

"Now  what  a  lesson  is  this,"  he  says,  "not  to  delay  preparation  for 
death  till  our  death-beds ;  till  our  bodies,  weakened  and  wasted,  arc 
unfit  for  every  exertion  ! 

"  '  Let  us  work  while  it  is  called  to-day.'  I  have  prayed  for  love  to 
God,  for  faith  in  Christ,  and  for  the  spirit  of  prayer,  constant  and 
warm/' 

The  death  of  the  King,  and  the  consequent  prospect  of  a 
dissolution  of  Parliament,  occasioned  some  anxious  thoughts. 
"  I  have  felt  some  doubt,"  he  says,  on  the  6th  of  February, 
"  whether  I  should  stand  ;"  and  he  mentions  his  "'  eight  children  " 
among  the  reasons  against  doing  so.  He  adds, 

"  Lord,  guide  my  heart  and  will  aright,  and  lead  me  to  determine  for 
the  best.  Oh  that  I  could  from  this  day  offer  myself  a  living  sacrifice 
to  the  Lord,  doing  or  abstaining,  speaking  or  being  silont,  spending  or 
forbearing  to  spend,  simply  because  it  was  the  will  of  God  ! 


1820.]  SECOND,  ELECTION  FOR  WEYMOUTFI.  83 

"  Oh  that  I  could  thus  put  off  the  old  man  and  put  on  the  new  man ! 
I  think  the  time  that  is  past  should  suffice  me  to  have  wrought  my 
own  will  ;  and  for  the  future  let  me  try  all  things  by  this  standard,  '  Is 
if  the  will  of  God  ?'  Oh,  gracious  God,  this  is  what  I  would  be;  but 
what  am  I  ?  Is  one  hundredth  part  of  my  time,  talents,  money, 
strength,  spent  for  God  ?  No  !" 

He  determined  at  length  to  stand  again  for  Weymouth.  He 
was  successful,  and  after  announcing  his  re-election  he  proceeds  : 
— "  I  heartily  hope  I  may  make  some  good  use  of  my  present 
privilege,  and  that  some  of  the  oppressed  may  be  less  miserable 
in  consequence."  From  Weymouth  he  went  to  Braclpole  to 
see  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  W.  Forster,  before  his  departure  to 
America. 

TO  MRS.  BUXTOX. 

''March  11,  1820. 

"  I  came  here  to-day,  and  have  much  enjoyed  seeing  them.  William, 
however,  is  grave  and  low.  Now  I  think  he  has  no  right  to  be  low  ; 
he  barters  his  present  happiness  for  a  price  incontestably  above  its  real 
value,  and  having  made  up  his  mind  to  change  perishable  for  imperish- 
able, and  imperfect  for  perfect,  he  ought  only  to  rejoice  that  he  has 
been  wise  enough  to  make  so  good  a  bargain.  However,  the  sacrifice 
is  a  noble  one,  for  I  think  I  never  saw  two  people  more  possessing  their 
hearts'  content." 

TO  J.  J.  GURNEY,  ESQ. 

"  Bradpole,  March  12,  1820. 

"  I  have  here  a  full  opportunity  of  learning  a  lesson  of  humility.  It 
is  very  well  to  do  good  and  to  serve  one's  country,  while  at  the  same 
moment  we  are  feeding  our  ambition  and  gratifying  our  pride ;  but 
what  are  the  sacrifices  I  make  ?  I  may  call  them  sacrifices,  but  their 
true  name  is,  the  pleasures  I  enjoy.  Here,  however,  the  pleasure  and 
the  sacrifice  are  totally  at  variance.  How  truly  and  exactly  do  the 
words,  '  They  left  all  and  followed  him,'  convey  my  view  of  William's 
two  years'  absence  from  a  home,  a  wife,  a  boy  (not  to  mention  the  dear 
horse,  and  ducks,  and  flowers),  the  very  darlings  of  his  heart,  all  his 
wishes  and  desires  centering  in  this  spot!  Well,  I  cannot  pity  him,  I 
am  more  inclined  to  envy  one  who  is  wise  enough  to  make  a  bargain  so 
incontestably  good.  I  went  to  Meeting  with  him  twice  to-day ;  his 
morning  sermon  on  '  Trust  in  the  Lord  with  all  thine  heart,  and  lean 
not  unto  thine  own  understanding.  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him, 
and  he  shail  direct  thy  paths,'  was  one  of  the  very  best  I  ever  heard. 

G  2 


84  BRADPOLE.  [CHAP.  vir. 

But  the  text  is  one  particularly  interesting  to  me.  I  return  home  on 
Wednesday,  and  mean  to  study  hard  till  Parliament  meets,  having  at 
this  time  the  following  subjects  in  my  mind  : — The  Criminal  Law  ; 
The  Prisons  ;  The  Police  ;  Botany  Bay  ;  The  Slave  Trade  ;  The  Prac- 
tice of  burning  Widows  in  India,  by  Authority  of  the  English  Resident ; 
Lotteries;  Colonization,  viz.,  Land  for  supporting  Schools,  and  Eman- 
cipation of  Slaves ;  The  Prosecution  of  the  Quarterly  Review  by  order 
of  the  House,  for  Libels  on  America : — cum  multis  aliis. 

"  So  you  see,  my  dear  brother,  I  am  likely  to  be  fully  engaged, — 
whether  usefully  or  not  is  at  His  disposal,  who  disposes  all  things ;  but 
I  am  thankful  that  He  has  given  me  a  desire  (mixed,  indeed,  and  pol- 
luted, but  still  a  desire)  to  serve  my  brother  men. 

"The  race  is  not  always  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong  ; 
and  there  are  some  very  few  occasions  in  which  labour  fails  ;  but  labour 
unactuated  by  selfish  considerations,  and  solely  fixing  its  eye  on  the  goal 
of  duty,  and  steadfastly  determined  to  reach  it,  is,  I  believe,  never 
defeated. 

'  His  way  once  clear,  he  forward  shot  outright, 
Not  turned  aside  by  danger  or  delight.' 

"  This  spirit — high  objects — and  what  is  ten  times  better  than  either, 
a  mind  uninfected  by  vanity,  no  eye  to  self — these  together  will  just 
accomplish  everything  except  impossibilities." 

Thus  far  Mr.  Buxton's  career  had  been  one  of  almost  un- 
chequered  prosperity, — as  a  member  of  Parliament ;  as  a  man  of 
business  ;  as  a  husband  ;  as  the  father  of  a  large  and  promising 
family,  his  heart's  desires  had  been  fulfilled.  His  public  under- 
takings were  becoming  daily  more  important  and  engrossin°- 
and  his  home  was  a  scene  of  unclouded  happiness. 

His  valued  friend,  the  Rev.  Charles  Simeon,  thus  writes  to 
him  from  Cambridge  : — 

"Jan.  14,  1820. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — Certainly  if  I  should  live  to  visit  your  house 
again,  I  shall  do  it  with  no  little  joy,  for  I  do  not  expect  to  see  in  this 
world  a  brighter  image  of  heaven  than  I  was  there  privileged  to  be- 
hold. A  sweet  savor  of  love  remained  upon  my  spirit  for  a  long  time 
after,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  it  is  quite  evaporated  yet.  But  I  do  not 
know  that  I  shall  not  thrash  you  for  supporting  the  Radicals.  I  look 
to  you,  under  God,  to  be  an  instrument  of  great  good  in  the  House  of 
Commons ;  and  I  would  not  that  you  should  subvert  the  influence  which 
your  habits  and  talents  are  so  calculated  to  command.  ...  I  am 


1820.]  DEATH  OF  HIS  ELDEST  SON.  85 

no  politician ;  but  I  feel  a  regard  for  you,  and  seem  to  think  that  the 
more  I  know  of  you,  the  more  my  heart  will  be  knit  to  you ;  so  you 
must  bear  with  this  impudent  letter,  from  one  who  is,  with  no  common 
affection,  yours, 

"  CHARLES  SJMEO.V." 

But  all  this  happiness  was  about  to  be  marred  by  a  rapid 
succession  of  calamities.  Mr.  Buxton  had  been  hastily  sum- 
moned back  from  the  election,  in  consequence  of  the  alarming 
illness  of  one  of  his  children.  His  eldest  son,  a  boy  of  ten  years 
old,  had  been  sent  home  from  school  unwell,  but  no  suspicion  of 
danger  was  at  first  excited ;  his  disorder,  however,  proved  to  be 
inflammatory;  and,  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  days,  he  sank 
under  it.  His  father  writes  in  his  Journal — 

"  Thus  have  we  lost  our  eldest  son,  the  peculiar  object  of  our  anxious 
care ;  a  boy  of  great  life  and  animation  ;  of  a  most  beautiful  countenance ; 
of  a  most  sweet  disposition  :  and,  blessed  be  God,  we  feel  that  in  the 
whole  event  His  mercy  has  been  extended  to  us.  We  can  rejoice  and 
mourn  together, — mourn  at  our  loss,  and  rejoice  that,  without  exposure 
to  the  trials  and  temptations  of  the  world,  it  has  pleased  God  to  take 
him  to  himself.  We  feel  the  most  certain  assurance  that  he  is  with 
God,  and  we  feel  persuaded  that,  if  we  could  but  be  permitted  to  see 
him  as  he  now  is,  we  should  never  bewail  him  for  another  instant.  '  He 
pleased  God,  and  was  beloved  of  Him,  therefore,  being  among  sinners, 
he  was  translated  ;  yea,  he  was  speedily  taken  away,  lest  that  wicked- 
ness should  alter  his  understanding,  or  deceit  beguile  his  soul.'  '  He  is 
gone  unto  Mount  Zion.'  If  these  things  be  true,  and  true  they  most 
certainly  are,  can  we  repine,  can  we  wish  to  recall  him  ?  For  myself, 
my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  has  been,  that  this  event  may  wean  me 

from  the  world  and  fix  my  heart  on  God To-night  I  read 

Hopkins'  most  admirable  sermon,  '  Death  disarmed  of  its  sting.'     O 

God,  make  me  thy  servant  and  soldier,  was  and  is  my  prayer 

I  went  this  morning  and  sat  down  on  the  top  of  the  hill  above  my 
house ;  I  then  prayed  for  myself,  my  wife,  each  of  my  children, 
especially  Edward,  now  my  eldest  son  !  and  Harry  ;  for  my  servants  ; 
for  the  heathen;  for  the  sanctification  of  my  pursuits:  and  God  grant 
that  my  prayers  are  heard  !" 

His  faith  was  destined  to  be  more  severely  tried.  The 
younger  children,  who  were  already  suffering  from  the  hooping- 
cough,  were  seized  within  a  i'ew  days  with  the  measles.  He 
writes — 


86  DOMESTIC  AFFLICTIONS.  [CHAP.  vu. 

"  April  9. 

"This  week  has  passed  away  in  great  anxiety  for  the  remainder  of 
my  flock." 

"  Sunday  night,  April  16. 

"  How  wonderful  are  the  ways  of  the  Lord  ;  how  sweet  his  mercies  ; 
how  terrible  his  judgments !  The  week  past  has  been  one  of  the  most 
acute  anxiety.  Oh  !  when  one  affliction  flows  in  upon  us  after  another, 
may  they  burst  the  bonds  by  which  we  are  tied  to  earth,  may  they 
direct  us  heavenward,  and  may  we,  having  our  treasures  in  heaven,  have 

our  hearts  there  also In  myself  how  much  is  there 

of  unholiness,  of  worldliness,  of  pride,  of  spiritual  deadness !  and,  for 
myself,  I  would  only  now  ask  that  the  Lord  would  eradicate  and  ex- 
tinguish these,  at  whatever  cost,  at  whatever  sacrifice.  I  have  just  been 
out  walking,  viewing  this  splendid  starry  night ;  what  immeasurable 
mightiness  does  the  firmament  display !  And  when  we  consider  that  for 
all  these  innumerable  worlds  there  is  one  Arbiter,  one  Sovereign  Di- 
rector, can  we  say  aught  else  than  '  Thy  will  be  done  ?'  Cannot  He 
who  rules  the  universe  decide  what  is  best  for  the  children  he  has  lent 
me  ?  May  I  yield  to  that  will !" 

The  sacrifice  was  required  from  him,  for  in  less  than  five 
weeks  after  the  death  of  his  son  it  pleased  God  also  to  take  to 
himself  the  three  infant  daughters  whose  illness  had  excited  such 
deep  feeling.  On  the  death  of  the  eldest,  a  child  of  four  years 
old,  he  writes : — 

" '  Though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him.'  I  had  much  desired 
her  life,  but  willingly  do  I  resign  her  into  the  hands  of  the  Lord,  pray- 
ing him  that  he  would  mercifully  make  her  death  the  means  of  turning 
me  more  nearly  to  the  Lord. 

"  Thus,  in  little  more  than  a  month,"  he  adds,  "  have  we  lost  the 
darlings  and  delights  of  our  life  ;  but  they  are  in  peace:  and,  for  our- 
selves, we  know  that  this  affliction  may  redound  to  our  eternal  benefit, 

if  we  receive  it  aright How  are  all  our  most  choice  and 

comely  blossoms  cut  off;  how  naked  do  we  appear,  how  stripped  of 
our  treasures !  Oh,  my  God,  my  God!  Be  thou  our  consoler,  and 
comfort  us,  not  with  the  joys  of  this  world,  but  with  faith,  love,  obedi- 
ence, patience,  and  resignation."* 

"  Tunbri.Ii:.'  Wdl>,  May  14,  1820. 
"  We  came  here,  with  the  fragments  of  our  family,  on  Wednesday 


*  "  Eheu  !  Eheu  !  "  was  the  simple  epitaph  he  placed  upon  the  tomb  of 
his  four  children. 


1820.]  CROMER  HALL.  87 

last,  in  hopes  that  the  retirement  and  peace  of  this  place  may  recruit  the 
strength  of  my  beloved  wile.  May  God  give  her  every  blessing;  and, 
tor  myself,  my  prayer  is  that  this  trial  may  not  pass  away,  but  may  leave 
a  durable  impression." 

The  diary  from  which  this  melancholy  narrative  has  been 
drawn  closes  at  this  date  ;  and,  of  the  summer,  which  was  chiefly 
spent  at  Tunbridge  Wells,  there  are  few  notices,  except  that 
before  mentioned  of  the  passing  of  the  Prison  Discipline  Bill, 
and  an  allusion,  on  the  8th  of  June,  to  the  Queen's  proposed 
trial. 

"  Last  night  came  on  in  the  House  the  great  events  of  the  Queen, 
and  I  think  I  never  spent  an  evening  to  so  much  advantage  as  this  last. 
The  case  is  this ;  we  are  going  into  an  inquiry  which  will  lay  bare  the 
most  disgraceful  scenes  in  the  Royal  family  on  both  sides ;  the  probable 
consequence  will  be  the  impeachment  of  the  Queen.  The  nation  will 
be  divided,  and  all  the  lower  orders  will  be  on  her  side  ;  and  the  certain 
consequences,  disturbances,  riots,  and  bloodshed, 

"  These  considerations  pressed  much  on  my  mind,  and  I  called 
Wilberforce  out  of  the  House,  and  persuaded  him  to  move  for  a  delay 
of  two  days,  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  necessity  for  such  painful 
and  disgraceful  disclosures,  which  motion  I  seconded  in  a  short,  warm, 
decided,  and  yell-applauded  speech ;  and  the  whole  House  were  so 
much  with  us,  that  the  Ministers  were  obliged  to  give  way.  I  have 
been  most  warmly  thanked  by  both  sides.  Brougham  said,  '  You  may 
live  fifty  years,  and  do  good  every  day,  but  you  will  never  do  as  much 
as  you  have  done  this  night.'  In  short,  the  effort  succeeded  beyond 
expectation,  and  I  am  glad  that  I  was  able  to  persuade  Wilberforce  to 
take  so  decisive  a  step.  He  wavered  a  good  deal,  but  when  he  spoke, 
he  spoke  most  beautifully,  and  at  considerable  length :  his  fine  fancy 
played  upon  the  subject." 

In  the  autumn  of  1820,  Mr.  Buxton,  who  was  no  longer 
obliged  to  give  much  attention  to  the  Brewery,  and  greatly 
needed  rest  and  change,  gave  up  his  house  at  Hampstead,  and 
became  a  resident,  permanently  as  it  proved,  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Cromer. 

At  first  lie  resided  at  Cromer  Hall,  an  old  seat  of  the  "Wynd- 
ham  family,  which  no  longer  exists;  having  many  years  ago 
been  pulled  down  and  replaced  by  a  modern  edifice. 

It  was  situated  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  sea,  but 
sheltered  from  the  north  winds  by  closely  surrounding  hills  and 


88  PRISCILLA  GURNEY.  [CHAP.  vn. 

woods;  and,  with  its  old  buttresses  and  porches,  its  clustering- 
jessamine,  and  its  formal  lawn,  where  the  pheasants  came  down 
to  feed,  had  a  peculiar  character  of  picturesque  simplicity.  The 
interior  corresponded  with  its  external  appearance,  and  had  little 
of  the  regularity  of  modern  buildings;  one  attic  chamber  was 
walled  up,  with  no  entrance  save  through  the  window,  and,  at 
different  times,  large  pits  were  discovered  under  the  floor,  or  in 
the  thickness  of  the  walls,  used,  it  was  supposed,  in  old  times  by 
the  smugglers  of  the  coast. 

Upon  first  settling  at  Cromer  Hall  he  received  under  his  roof 
Mrs.  Buxton's  youngest  sister,  Priscilla  Gurney,  who  was  then 
in  an  advanced  stage  of  consumption,  under  which  she  sank  in 
March,  1821. 

This  lady  was  a  minister  in  the  Society  of  Friends,  like  her 
sister  Mrs.  Fry,  whom  she  greatly  resembled,  in  uniting  un- 
common resolution  and  originality  of  character  with  the  most 
winning  gentleness  of  demeanour.  Mr.  Buxton  had  the  highest 
opinion  of  her  judgment  and  piety ;  and  she  exercised,  as  we 
shall  see,  a  peculiar  influence  upon  his  subsequent  career.  He 
thus  describes  her  : — 

" I  never  knew  an  individual  who  was  less  one  of  the  multi- 
tude than  Priscilla  Gurney.  In  her  person,  her  manners,  her  views, 
there  was  nothing  which  was  not  the  very  reverse  of  commonplace. 
There  was  an  air  of  peace  about  her,  which  was  irresistible  in  reducing 
all  with  whom  she  conversed  under  her  gentle  influence.  This  was  the 
effect  on  strangers ;  and  in  no  degree  was  it  abated  by  the  closest  inti- 
macy :  something  there  was,  undoubtedly,  in  the  beauty  of  her  counte- 
nance, and  in  the  extreme  delicacy  which  constituted  that  beauty ;  in  a 
complexion  perfectly  clear ;  in  the  simplicity  and  absence  of  all  decora- 
tion but  that  of  the  most  refined  neatness,  which,  altogether,  conveyed 
to  every  one's  mind  the  strongest  conception  of  purity.  And  these 
attractions  of  person  were  aided  by  manners  which  nicely  corresponded. 

No   less   remarkable  were  the   powers  of  her   mind.     I  have 

seldom  known  a  person  of  such  sterling  ability ;  and  it  is  impossible  to 
mention  these  mental  powers  without  adverting  to  that  great,  and  in 
my  estimation,  that  astonishing  display  of  them  which  was  afforded  by 
her  ministry.  I  have  listened  to  many  eminent  preachers,  and,  many 
speakers  also,  but  I  deem  her  as  perfect  a  speaker  as  1  ever  heard.  The 
tone  of  her  voice,  her  beauty,  the  singular  clearness  of  her  conception, 
and,  above  all,  her  own  strong  conviction  that  she  was  urging  the  truth. 
and  truth  of  the  utmost  importance — the  whole  constituted  a  species  of 


1821.]  COACH  ACCIDENT.  89 

ministry  which  no  one  could  hear,  and  which  I  am  persuaded  no  one 
ever  did  hear,  without  a  deep  impression." 

Whilst  attending  from  time  to  time  his  duties  in  London,  he 
thus  \\ -rites  to  Mrs.  Buxtoii,  who  had  remained  at  Cromer  Hall 
to  nurse  her  sister  : — 

"  Dec.  5,  1820. 

"  I  am  going  to  dine  at  St.  Mildred's  Court,*  and,  at  11  o'clock, 
two  persons  connected  with  the  police  come  to  me,  and  we  go  together 
through  all  the  receptacles  of  rogues  in  the  east  end  of  the  town.  It 
will  occupy  about  the  whole  of  the  night,  but  I  think  it  right  to  do  so. 
I  never  was  more  called  into  action  than  this  time  of  being  in  town,  so 
many  objects  of  great  good  and  importance  offer  themselves.  To-day  I 
have  been  much  interested  by  the  African  Institution." 

"  London,  Jan.  13,  1821. 

"  I  wrote  a  line  yesterday  just  to  mention  my  safe  arrival,  and  to-day 
I  have  hardly  time  for  more,  for  a  flood  of  business  has  overtaken  me. 
I  have  an  engagement  already  for  every  day  this  week,  and  next  week  I 
shall  have  to  bring  forward  a  motion  in  the  House,  which  will  require 
some  time  and  thought ;  but  it  is  the  weight  and  multitude  of  business 
which  makes  me  happy.  At  Earlham  I  read  a  piece  of  Palev's  philo- 
sophy, which  I  found  admirable.  I  was  quite  delighted  with  the  vigour 
of  thought  which  runs  through  it,  and  it  gave  me  a  train  of  thought 

which  lasted  almost  to  Ipswich I  have  felt  very  much  leaving 

you  all  ;  but  though  I  should  enjoy  being  with  you,  I  could  stay  no 
longer  from  Parliament  with  an  easy  mind,  so  we  must  be  satisfied." 

"  Bellfield,  Jan.  17,  1821. 

"  I  arrived  here  safely  yesterday,  but  with  an  adventure  on  the  road. 
Just  on  this  side  of  Andover,  about  5  o'clock  in  the  morning,  my  sw  eet 
slumbers  were  impaired  by  the  coach  suddenly  coming  over  with  a  most 
noble  crash.  I  directly  perceived  that  I  was  unhurt,  and  my  first 
feeling  was  one  of  thankfulness.  As  I  was  not  injured,  so  I  did  not  feel 
in  the  slightest  degree  hurried  or  disturbed,  though  rather  anxious  lest 
my  books  and  apples  should  be  lost  through  the  prostrate  window  ;  so  I 
first  collected  these,  then  I  put  on  my  spectacles,  then  exchanged  my 
cap  for  my  hat,  and  then  ascended  through  the  broken  window  and  got 
upon  the  body  of  the  coach,  where  I  immediately  delivered  a  lecture  to 
the  coachman  on  the  impropriety  of  swearing  at  any  time,  but  especially 
at  the  moment  of  deliverance  from  danger.  We  then  went  in  various 
directions  for  help,  with  which,  in  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  we  contrived 

*  With  Mr.  Fry. 


90  ON  SELF-DEVOTION.  [CHAP.  vn. 

to  place  the  machine  on  its  legs.  My  thoughts  in  the  course  of  the 
journey  had  been  dwelling  on  Providence  a  great  deal ;  and,  at  the  same 
time,  I  had  been  looking  forward  to  future  and  distant  plans,  and  had 
been  strongly  impressed  with  the  recollection  that  all  these  might  be 
baffled  by  the  fracture  of  a  linch-pin,  or  by  any  other  slight  cause,  under 
the  guidance  of  Him  who  rules  the  minute  as  well  as  the  great  events 
of  life,  and  had  had  the  text,  '  Thou  fool,  this  night,'  &c.,  in  my 
mind. 

"  I  find  my  constituents  in  very  good  humour,  but  my  coming  was 
quite  indispensable." 

"  Palace  Yard,  Sunday,  Jan.  25. 

"  I  slept  last  night  at  Hampstead,  and  came  this  morning  to  Wheeler* 
street  Chapel,  where  the  service  was  very  unusually  affecting  and  inte- 
resting to  me.  My  mind  has  been  dwelling,  or  rather  it  has  been  fixed,  on 
the  love  and  mercy  of  God.  I  look  upon  myself  as  so  signal  an  instance  of 
his  extreme  mercy.  As  for  my  course  of  life,  in  that  I  have  no  pleasure 
and  no  confidence ;  I  feel  that  I  am  halting  between  two  opinions,  that 
my  heart  is  not  His,  who  said,  '  Give  me  thine  heart:'  that  there  is  a 
certain  lukewarmness  in  things  spiritual  which  forms  no  part  of  my 
character  in  things  of  much  less  importance :  in  a  word,  I  seem  to  be 
'  stopping  short '  of  that  full  dedication  of  self,  which  is,  not  a  part,  not 
merely  an  essential,  but  the  very  substance  of  the  Christian  character. 
I  see  before  me  a  path  far  nobler  than  the  one  which  I  am  treading. 
I  could  be  an  effectual  servant  of  the  Lord,  directing  the  talents  which 
he  has  placed  at  my  disposal  to  his  service  (when  I  say  talents,  I  mean 
not  intellectual  talents  so  much  as  circumstances,  fortune,  influence,  &c.) ; 
and  being  not  in  some  small  degree,  as  is  the  case,  nor  almost,  but 
altogether  set  upon  serving  God  and  man.  Well !  this  is  the  mercy, 
that,  negligent  as  I  have  been,  yet  he  has  still  permitted  me  this  day  to 
draw  near  to  Him  in  prayer.  He  has  not  rejected  me  altogether :  he 
has  this  day  permitted  me  to  taste  and  know  how  good  and  how  gracious 
he  is ;  and  the  difference  between  the  implacability  of  my  own  heart 
and  the  plenteous  forgiveness  which  is  with  God  has  powerfully  exercised 
my  mind. 

"  I  think  I  never  so  much  longed  for  you,  but  every  time  I  do  so 
I  rejoice  to  think  I  have  given  you  to  my  darling  Priscilla.  Do  not 
think  I  repine  at  our  separation.  I  am  most  thoroughly  satisfied,  ami 
enjoy  giving  her  anything  I  prize  so  highly.  What  a  pleasure  and  a 
blessing  has  her  visit  to  us  this  last  autumn  been  !  '  giving  thanks  always 
in  every  remembrance  of  her'  is  exactly  my  fooling.  She  must  not  fancy 
I  pity  her:  I  can  most  truly  say  I  would  this  moment  joyfully  exchange 
situations  with  her,  except  that  I  should  not  like  to  cheat  her  into  a 
bad  bargain. 


182 1.1  ON  (H'XTLKNESS.  91 

li  Then  as  to ,*  what  do  you  think  I  have  felt  about  her  after 

all  ii iv  complaints  ?  only  unmixed  admiration  for  the  good  she  did  in 
.spite  of  me.  I  say  unmixed  approbation  of  her  zealous,  unwearied, 
eil'cctual  services.  I  always  strive  at  one  thing,  and  that  is  to  look  at 
the  truth.  Passion,  prejudice,  temper,  and  twenty  other  weeds  of  the 
earth  may  have  absolute  occupancy  and  direction  of  my  actions,  but  they 
shall  not,  if  I  can  help  it,  pervert  my  judgment ;  and  to  my  judgment 
he'-  activity  and  effectuality  have  been  admirable.  Still,  I  think  it  ought 
to  be  a  matter  most  seriously  weighed  by  her,  whether  it  would  not  be 
better  to  execute  her  objects  more  mildly,  even  at  the  expense  ot  exe- 
cuting much  less.  The  most  attractive  of  all  things  is  female  gentleness, 
and  besides  it  is  the  most  influential  of  all  things.  It  has  a  power  which 
nothing  else  has  upon  the  ruder  bosoms  of  the  lords  of  the  creation. 

does  not  know  how  much  we  require  to  be  soothed  and  petted 

and  coaxed,  and  how  we  are  to  be  led  by  a  thread,  when  a  cart-rope  will 
not  drag  us.  In  short,  she  must  not  be  vehemently  good,  nor  give  to 
feebler  brethren  like  myself  a  distaste  for  things  which  are  excellent  by 
her  excessive  ardour  in  the  pursuit.  From  every  good  action  there 
ought  to  be  a  double  fruit,  good  to  the  object  in  contemplation,  and 
good  to  the  bystanders  by  example.  Now  it  is  very  odd  I  should  have 
run  on  thus,  for  I  can  truly  say  I  have,  since  we  parted,  repeatedly 
scolded  and  upbraided  myself,  and  only  commended  her.  But  I  hope 
your  giving  her  some  of  these  hints,  and  reading  her  Pascal  on  the  art  of 
persuading  (where  he  shows  that,  for  one  man  who  is  subdued  by  force, 
ten  are  allured  by  '  des  agremens '),  may  be  of  use  ;  and  so  my  very  kind 
love  to  her." 

"  Hampstead,  Jan.  27. 

"  I  have  had  my  hands  brim  full  of  business  this  last  week,  but  it  has 
not  fatigued  me  as  parliamentary  business  does ;  there  is  no  stress  on  the 
mind,  no  anxiety,  no  apprehension  that  a  good  cause  may  suffer  by  my 
inattention  or  incapacity,  which  is  wearisome  in  Parliament.  We  had  a 
pleasant  dinner  party  at  the  Duke  of  Gloucester's  yesterday.  I  had 
spent  the  morning  with  \Vilberforce,  who  was  quite  delightful.  I  begin 
to  think,  that  of  all  men  he  is  the  most  subjected  and  controlled,  and 
invariably  in  the  right  frame  of  temper.  I  say  '  begin,'  because  he  is 
beginning  to  share  the  seat  in  my  mind  which  Joseph  has  so  long 

occupied I  shall  finish  my  examination  of  the  boys  when  I  am 

at  Cromer,  so  let  Miss tremble.     Tell  her  from  me,  that  I  look 

with  unmixed  satisfaction  to  her  superintendence  of  their  education;  and 
I  am  sure,  if  she  give  them  vigour  of  mind — '  a  mind  not  to  be  changed,' 
a  determination  to  accomplish  their  object  by  dint  of  resolution,  and  an 


*  A  guest  who  had  lately  been  staying  at  Cromer  Hall. 


92  THE  AFRICAN  INSTITUTION.  [CHAP.  vu. 

unconquerable  fixed  will  to  succeed,  she  will  give  them  what  is  worth 
more  than  wealth,  or  rank,  or  anything  else,  except  one  thing,  which  if 
they  have  not,  I  trust  they  never  will  have  this  energy,  because  this 
energy  is  a  great  instrument,  and,  if  ill  employed,  a  great  instrument 
of  evil." 

TO  ONE  OF  HIS  LITTLE  BOYS. 

"  Jan.  28. 

"  I  have  had  a  fine  gallop  this  morning  on  your  capital  horse  '  Radical.' 
I  ride  him  and  Abraham  every  day,  and  always  as  fast  as  they  can  go, 
because  I  have  so  much  to  do  that  I  cannot  behave  like  little  Lord  Linger. 
I  hope  that  when  you  are  a  man  you  will  be  very  industrious  and  do  all 
the  good  you  can.  There  are  a  great  many  poor  people  who  are  very 
sick,  and  yet  have  no  money  to  buy  food,  or  clothes,  or  physic ;  and 
there  are  many  more  so  ignorant  that  they  never  heard  of  the  Bible, 
and  think  they  do  very  right  when  they  roast  and  eat  their  enemies  ! 
If  you  think  this  is  very  right,  and  that  it  is  kind  to  stick  a  man  on  a 
spit  and  dress  him  like  a  pig,  why,  don't  try  to  prevent  it !  But  if  you 
think  it  very  wrong,  then  be  sure  you  do  all  you  can  to  stop  it.  Do  you 
know,  one  good  industrious  man  may  do  a  great  deal ;  and,  if  you  wish 
to  be  of  that  sort,  you  must  begin  by  being  diligent  now.  But  there  is  a 
much  more  important  thing  than  even  being  diligent,  that  is  being  good. 
I  don't  much  like  to  bring  you  a  horn,  because  I  am  sure  you  will  disturb 
the  hen- pheasants,  and  so  we  shall  have  no  young  ones." 

Mr.  Buxton  belonged,  it  has  been  said  above,  to  the  African 
Institution,  the  Society  set  on  foot  by  Mr.  Wilberforce  and  his 
coadjutors,  in  order  to  watch  over  the  law,  which  with  so  much 
difficulty  had  been  obtained  in  1807,  abolishing  the  Trade  in 
Slaves  between  Africa  and  our  Colonies.  Having  in  a  great 
measure  effected  this  purpose,  and  secured  the  ostensible  ac- 
quiescence of  France,  Portugal,  and  other  nations,  in  the  same 
measure,  the  Institution  had  at  length  sunk  into  a  state  of  com- 
parative inactivity. 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON. 

"  Jan.  30. 

"  I  had  engaged  to  go  down  to  Coggeshall  yesterday,  shoot  there 
to-day,  and  return  to-morrow  night ;  happily,  as  I  think,  I  got  notice  of 
the  meeting  of  the  African  Institution  for  to-day,  so  I  put  off  my  shoot- 
ing excursion.  In  the  course  of  the  meeting  an  opportunity  occurred, 
which  I  could  not  pass  over,  of  declaring  my  mind,  as  to  the  inactivity 
and  ineffectiveness  of  the  Society.  I  told  them  that  it  was  certain  we 
once  had  the  confidence  of  the  country ;  and  it  was  now  certain  the 


1821.]  MR.  WILBERFORCE.  93 

public  knew  little  and  cared  little  on  the  subject.  I  have  often  spoken 
plainly  and  been  condemned  by  others  ;  a  few  times  I  have  done  so  and 
blamed  myself,  but  in  this  instance  I  really  felt,  and  still  feel,  exceedingly 
grateful  that  I  did  not  shrink  from  the  duty.  My  remonstrance  was 
well  received,  and  a  meeting  was  appointed  for  Saturday  next,  at  Lord 
Lansdownc's,  of  all  the  members  of  both  Houses  interested  in  the 
subject,  and  perhaps  it  may  be  a  means  of  great  good.  I  tell  all  this 
long  story  for  my  dear  Priscilla,  who  exhorted  me  not  to  neglect  this, 
the  first  and  most  melancholy  of  all  subjects.  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  the 
dear  boys'  letters,  but  I  can't  think  that  I  shall  find  they  know  so  much 
as  they  talk  about  when  I  get  home.  My  hands  are  rather  full  : 
Thursday,  the  Brewery.  Friday,  Cape  of  Good  Hope  Slave  Trade. 
Saturday,  Lord  Lansdowne's.  Monday,  Prison  Bilk  Tuesday, 
Brougham's  Bill  on  Education.  Wednesday,  I  made  a  speech  to  the 
children  in  Spitaltields.  Thursday,  Brewery  and  Mail  Coach. 
Friday,  home  !  I  want  two  heads,  two  bodies,  and  the  power  of  being 
in  two  places  at  once." 

"  Feb.  3. 

"  I  was  quite  astonished  at  Wilberforce  yesterday.  I  had  not  seen 
him  since  my  vehement  reprobation  of  the  African  Institution. 
Yesterday  he  was  warm  to  excess  ;  over  and  over  again  he  thanked 
me  for  the  boldness  and  openness  of  my  remarks,  and  said  they  had 
penetrated  deeply  into  his  heart." 

"  March  8. 

"  I  really  do  earnestly  desire  to  write  to  you  more  fully,  and  to 
express  how  much  my  heart  is  yours  and  with  you,  but  how  can  I  ? 
I  left  the  House  last  night  at  one  o'clock,  very  hot,  and  could  not  get 
to  sleep :  up  this  morning  and  full  gallop  to  Hampstead  ;  then  to  the 
Brewery  on  important  business ;  then  a  gallop  to  a  meeting  of  Daniel 
Wilson's  society  for  the  education  of  young  clergymen,  where,  among 
the  rest,  I  saw  John  and  Francis  Cunningham ;  I  was  quite  pleased  to 
see  them  again.  The  meeting  was  highly  interesting,  and  the  society 
seems  doing  so  much  good,  that  I  am  not  sure  but  I  shall  to-morrow 
send  them  a  large  donation.  I  did  not  to-day,  for  I  am  not  fond  of 
doing  such  things  under  the  impulse  of  feeling. 

"  I  afterwards  saw  R.,  who  appeared  to  me  to  be  doing  her  duty  to 
her  father ;  and,  in  my  estimation,  besides  the  duty  to  her  father,  the 
habit  of  doing  it,  and  the  credit  of  doing  it,  are  of  the  highest  importance 
to  her. 

"  Poor  dear  Priscilla,  how  sorry  I  am  that  she  should  have  any  pain ! 
but  she  is  near  the  land  where  neither  sorrow  nor  pain  enters,  and  might 
with  much  more  reason  pity  us  than  receive  pity  from  us.  Wilberforce 
was  charmed  with  her  message." 


94  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  [CHAP.  vii. 

"  March  12. 

"  John  and  Francis  Cunningham  came  and  dined  at  my  lodgings,  and 
we  had  a  very  pleasant  evening.  I  almost  determined  to  go  over  to 
Harrow  yesterday,  as  John  has  a  lecture  for  me  on  the  neglect  of 
private  prayer.  Alas !  there  is  more  truth  in  the  charge  than  he  knows, 
and  since  I  heard  his  notions  as  to  myself  the  subject  has  been  much  on 
my  mind." 

"  March  15. 

"  Wilberforce  dined  with  me  on  Tuesday  last,  and  was  quite  delight- 
ful.— He  gave  us  a  long  account  of  his  early  life  and  friends,  and  said 
one  thing  which  has  much  stuck  by  me.  I  asked  him,  who  was  the 
greatest  man  he  ever  knew?  He  said,  '  Out  of  all  comparison,  Pitt! 
but,'  he  added,  '  I  never  think  of  his  superiority  without  reflecting,  that 
he  who  is  least  in  the  kingdom  of  God  is  greater  than  he.'  Now  I  see 
clearly  that  in  this  world  I  shall  never  be  anything  but  a  mere  moderate 
— '  behind  the  foremost,  and  before  the  last.'  But  for  this  I  really  do 
not  care.  I  am,  however,  thoroughly  discontented  with  my  progress  in 
better  things,  and  wonder  at  myself  whenever  I  reflect  on  them  at  all. 
Did  Francis  tell  you  of  the  lecture  designed  for  me  at  Harrow  ?  I 
must  and  will  have  it,  for  I  am  much  inclined  to  think  that  my  lower 
state  in  such  matters  arises  from  my  neglect  of  spirituality,  and  of  the 
appointed  method  of  attaining  it.  I  am  in  a  sad  scrape  at  VVeymouth. 
They  are  going  to  have  races,  '  to  the  great  benefit  of  the  town  and 
amusement  of  the  company — fully  calculate  on  my  subscription  and 
Williams's.'  He  wrote,  acceding,  but  I  have  refused,  for  I  feel  a 
scruple  against  them.  My  dearest  love  to  you  all.  Let  the  boys  tell 
me  what  I  am  to  buy  them  as  presents." 

His  sister-in-law's  illness  was  now  rapidly  increasing.  He 
writes — 

"  London,  March  20. 

"  As  for  dearest  Priscilla,  I  neither  grieve  for  the  bad  account  of 
yesterday,  nor  rejoice  at  the  more  favourable  one  of  to-day.  I  feel  her 
given  to  the  Lord,  and  I  am  sure  that  lie  is  about  her  bed,  and  that 
He  loves  her,  and  that  whatsoever  shall  happen  to  her  will  be  sent  in 
peculiar  tenderness  ;  and  in  these  certain  truths  I  commit  her  to  Him 
without  fear  or  repining.  She  is  inexpressibly  dear  to  my  inmost  soul, 

but  I  look  upon  her  as  a  saint  already  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord 

I  have  tried  to  pray  for  her,  but  I  cannot.  My  prayers  turn  into 
praises,  and  my  mourning  into  joy.  And,  after  all,  if  we  lose  her,  what 
is  it?  Let  our  thoughts  range  through  eternity,  dropping  only  the 
trifle  of  the  next  fifty  years,  and  what  can  we  desire  beyond  h<?r  present 
state?  We  are  sure  that  her  God,  whom  she  served  in  her  strength, 


1821.]  OF  PRISCILLA  GURNEY.  95 

protects,  cherishes,  and  will  guard  her  from  evil  in  her  sickness.  If 
she  is  destined  to  dwell  in  His  presence  for  evermore,  will  not  this 
satisfy  those  w  ho  love  her  dearly  ?  I  say  again,  I  am  satisfied  and 
joyful  in  her  state,  and  can  with  unbounded  and  satisfied  confidence 
commit  her  to  the  Lord,  and  shall  be  almost  glad  if  you  tell  her  I  send 
no  message  of  hojx!  or  fear,  neither  can  I  hope  or  fear." 

"  March  22. 

"  On  receiving  your  letter,  the  first  impulse  was  to  set  oft'  directly, 
but  a  meeting  about  the  Slave  Trade  to-morrow  morning,  and  a  debate 
about  the  Slave  Trade  to-morrow  evening  ;  a  meeting  with  Stephen  on 
the  same  subject  on  Wednesday ;  and  that  of  the  Sunday  School 
children  on  Wednesday  evening,  are  reasons  which  seem  to  supersede 
every  inclination.  On  the  other  hand  I  ardently  long  to  see  my  beloved 
Priscilla  again,  and  the  recollection,  that  she  desired  you  to  tell  me 
that  she  had  something  to  say  to  me,  weighs  in  the  strongest  manner 
upon  me.  I  would  not,  on  any  account,  lose  whatever  this  may  be, 
whether  of  love,  or  advice,  or  reproof.  Circumstanced,  however,  as 
I  am,  I  have  determined  to  wait,  at  least  till  to-morrow's  account 
comes." 

He  soon  after  left  London,  and  reached  Cromer  Hall  in  time 
to  receive  those  dying  injunctions  which  his  sister-in-law  had 
been  so  anxious  to  lay  upon  him.  What  these  were  we  shall  see 
hereafter.  After  her  death*  he  was  compelled  to  return  almost 
immediately  to  London.  He  writes  thence  : — 

"  I  was  quite  out  of  heart  all  yesterday,  and  could  neither  speak  at 
the  public  meeting,  nor  study  at  night.  However,  I  was  determined 
not  to  yield  to  low  spirits,  and,  by  dint  of  obstinacy,  I  at  length  did  get 
to  work,  and  continued  till  one  o'clock  in  the  morning." 

A  few  days  later  he  speaks  of  "  working  very,  very  hard." 
In  addition  to  the  questions  of  Prison  Discipline,  Criminal  Law, 
and  the  Slave  Trade,  in  which  he  took  so  much  interest,  his 
attention  had  been  drawn,  chiefly  through  the  facts  laid  before 
him  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Peggs,  a  Baptist  missionary  just  returned 
from  India,  to  the  subject  of  Suttee,  viz.  the  self-immolation  of 
Hindoo  widows.  Having  collected  a  large  mass  of  information, 
he  determined  to  bring  it  before  Parliament ;  and,  in  the  course 
of  the  session,  he  made  two  motions  on  the  subject.  In  his 
speech  on  the  second  occasion  he  proved,  that  within  the  last 

*  A  letter  of  Mr.  Simeon's  on  this  occasion  will  be  found  in  page  551  of 
his  memoir. 


96  SPEECH  ON  CRIMINAL  LAW.  [CHAP.  vn. 

four  years,  in  the  Residency  of  Fort  William  alone,  2366  widows 
had  been  committed  to  the  flames ! — that  the  French,  Dutch, 
and  other  powers  in  India  had  abolished  the  custom  in  their  ter- 
ritories, while  the  stigma  of  its  continuance  still  rested  on  the 
British  Government;  and  he  showed  that,  so  far  from  being  vo- 
luntary, this  cruel  martyrdom"  was  generally  forced  upon  the 
unhappy  widow,  either  by  superstitious  priests  or  interested 
relations. 

Several  years,  however,  elapsed  before  anything  of  importance 
was  accomplished  in  this  matter,  the  question  being  one  which 
fell  within  the  province  of  the  India  House,  rather  than  of  the 
House  of  Commons. 

The  Committee  which  had  been  appointed  in  the  preceding 
year  to  inquire  into  the  working  of  the  Criminal  laws,  had  now 
closed  its  labours,  and  Sir  James  Mackintosh's  bill  for  the  abro- 
gation of  the  punishment  of  death,  in  cases  of  forgery,  arose 
from  its  report.  A  speech  of  Mr.  Buxton's  upon  this  bill* 
excited  great  notice  at  the  time ;  the  drift  of  it  was  to  prove  that 
the  law  as  it  stood  was  at  once  inhuman  and  ineffective ;  that  the 
severity  of  the  punishment  induced  judges  and  jurors  to  strive 
for  an  acquittal ;  and  that  the  uncertainty  of  the  greater  penalty 
was  therefore  more  readily  incurred  than  the  certainty  of  the 
lesser  one. 

"  We  have  gone  on  long  enough,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  "  taking  it  for 
granted  that  capital  punishment  does  restrain  crime,  and  the  time  is  now 
arrived  in  which  we  may  fairly  ask,  Does  it  do  so? 

"  It  has  been  tried  long  enough — we  have  tried  nothing  else  for  the 
last  century.  And  on  a  scale  large  enough — the  law  of  England  has 
displayed  no  unnecessary  nicety  in  apportioning  the  punishment  of 
death :  kill  your  father,  or  a  rabbit  in  a  warren,  the  penalty  is  the 
same  !  Destroy  three  kingdoms,  or  a  hopbine,  the  penalty  is  the  same  ! 
Meet  a  gipsy  on  the  high  road,  keep  company  with  him,  or  kill  him, 
the  penalty  by  law  is  the  same  ! 

'•  The  system,  then,  having  been  tried  long  enough,  and  largely 
enough,  what  are  the  results?  Has  your  law  done  that  which  you  ex- 
pected from  your  law  ?  Has  crime  decreased  ?  Has  it  remained  sta- 
tionary ?  Certainly  not.  Has  it  increased  ?  It  certainly  has,  and  at 
a  prodigious  rate.f  Why,  then,  your  system  has  failed  !  " 


*  May  23,  1821. 
t  in  tvrtlic  ..  •  had  increased  fourfold. 


1821.]  TWO  EXPERIMENTS  TRIED.  97 

Only  one  experimental  fact  had  been  brought  forward  on  the 
other  side.  In  the  case  of  larceny  from  the  person,  mitigation 
had  been  tried;  and  the  convictions  for  that  crime  had  inma--u<l. 
But  then  every  other  crime  had  increased  in  an  equal  or  greater 
ratio.  That  is  to  say,  no  more  had  been  gained  by  inflicting 
capital  punishments  than  by  not  inflicting  them. 

"  We  have  done  as  well  without  as  with  the  capital  punishment.  That 
is,  our  case  is  proved.  To  inflict  death  needlessly  can  be  called  by  no 
other  name  than  that  of  legal  murder. 

"  Now,  at  the  same  period,  two  experiments  were  tried.  In  the  one 
case,  we  proceeded  from  lenity  to  rigour ;  in  the  other,  from  rigour  to 
lenity.  Here,  then,  principle  is  opposed  to  principle,  system  to  system, 
and  the  result  is  before  us.  First,  in  1807,  forgery  of  stamps  was  made 
a  capital  crime.  And  the  question  is,  with  what  effect  ? 

"  By  the  confession  of  the  solicitor  of  the  Excise  the  crime  has  not 
abated,  but  the  prosecutions  have  abated  to  one-half.  The  excise  was 
better  protected  by  your  former  lenity  than  by  your  late  rigour. 

"  But  another  experiment  was  tried,  very  different  in  its  nature,  and 
(I  rejoice  to  say)  as  different  in  its  effects.  In  1811  the  linen- bleachers 
came  to  Parliament  ....  praying  for  a  mitigation  in  the  law  against 
stealing  from  bleaching  grounds.  That  prayer  was  conceded  ;  in  this 
House  cheerfully.  In  another  place  acquiescence  was  granted  somewhat 
in  the  same  spirit  in  which  the  satirist  describes  the  deities  of  old  as 
yielding  to  the  foolish  importunities  of  their  votaries. 

'  Evertere  domes  tolas,  optantibus  ipsis 
Di  faciles.' 

And  here  it  was  determined  to  punish  these  romantic  petitioners  with 
the  fulfilment  of  their  prayer,  and  to  inflict  upon  them  the  penalty  of 
conceded  wishes. 

"  With  what  effect  ?  .  .  .  .To  answer  this  question,  I  will  enter," 
he  says,  "  into  a  comparison  of  which  no  man  will  deny  the  fairness.  I 
will  take  the  last  five  years  during  which  the  crime  was  capital— and  the 
last  five  years  during  which  it  lias  not  been  capital.  Now,  if  I  prove 
that  this  offence  has  increased,  but  only  in  the  same  proportion  with 
other  offences,  I  prove  my  point  for  reasons  which  I  have  already 
assigned.  But  if  I  go  a  step  farther,  and  prove  that,  while  all  other 
offences  have  increased  with  the  most  melancholy  rapidity,  this,  and 
this  alone,  has  decreased  as  rapidly,  that  there  is  one  only  exception  to 
the  universal  augmentation  of  crime,  and  that  one  exception  is  in  the 
case  in  which  you  have  reduced  the  penalty  of  your  law ;  if  I  can  do 
this,  and  upon  evidence  which  cannot  be  shaken,  have  I  not  a  right  to 

H 


98  SPEECH  ON  CRIMINAL  LAW.  [CHAP.  vn. 

call  upon  the  noble  lord  opposite,  and  upon  his  Majesty's  ministers, 
either  to  invalidate  my  facts  or  to  admit  my  conclusion  ?" 

He  then  read  the  official  returns  of  crimes  committed  in  the 
duchy  of  Lancaster,  whence  it  appeared  that,  before  the  mitiga- 
tion of  the  law,  this  offence  had  been  as  rife  as  the  other  capital 
offences  ;  but,  since  that  mitigation,  all  the  capital  offences  had 
increased  prodigiously,*  while  this  offence  had  decreased  two- 
thirds. 

"No  man,"  he  continued,  "would  justify  severity  for  the  sake  of 
severity  itself,  or  would  love  executions  in  the  abstract.  We  have  dis- 
pensed with  them  in  one  case,  and  the  consequence  is,  fewer  crimes, — 
greater  security  to  property.  Shall  we  stop  there?" 

He  then  adverted  to  the  punishment  of  forgery  : — 

"  For  a  multitude  of  years,"  he  said,  "  every  wretch  who  was  over- 
taken by  the  law,  without  regard  to  age,  or  sex,  or  circumstances  in 
extenuation,  was  consigned  to  the  hangman.  You  accomplished  your 
object,  no  doubt !  By  dint  of  such  hardness  you  exterminated  the 
offence  as  well  as  the  offenders  ;  forgeries  of  course  ceased  in  a  country 
under  such  a  terrible  method  of  repressing  them  !  No  !  but  they  grew, 
they  multiplied,  they  increased  to  so  enormous  an  extent — victim  so 
followed  victim,  or  rather  one  band  of  victims  was  so  ready  to  follow 
another,  that  you  were  absolutely  compelled  to  mitigate  your  law, 
because  of  the  multitude  of  the  offenders — because  public  feeling  and 
the  feeling  of  the  advisers  of  the  crown  rebelled  against  such  continual 
slaughter. 

"  Have  I  not  then  a  right  to  cast  myself  upon  the  House,  and  to  im- 
plore them  no  longer  to  continue  so  desperate  and  so  unsuccessful  a 
system  ;  and  to  lay  side  by  side  the  two  cases — forgery  and  stealing 
from  bleaching  grounds, — both  offences  only  against  property — both 
unattended  with  violence  ?  In  the  one  we  have  tried  a  mitigation  of 
the  law,  and  have  succeeded  beyond  our  most  sanguine  expectations;  in 
the  other  we  have  tried  severity  to  the  utmost  extent — and  to  the  utmost 
extent  it  has  failed.  Well  then :  are  we  not  bound — I  will  not  say  by 
our  feelings  or  by  tenderness  for  life — but  by  every  principle  of  reason 
and  equity,  of  common  sense  and  common  justice,  to  discontinue  a 
system  which  has  so  utterly  failed,  and  to  embrace  a  system  which  has 
been  so  eminently  successful  ?" 

Such  were  the  results  of  the  experiments  made  in  our  own 
time  and  country.  He  furnished  others  from  history.  Henry 

*  For  instance,  stealing  from  dwelling-houses  was  a  capital  offence:  it 
had  increased  eleven-fold. 


1821.]  HISTORICAL  KX  I'KiMKM'K.  99 

A'  1 1 1 .  hanged  72,000  persons  for  robbery  alone  ;  yet  Sir  Thomas 
More  wonders  that  "  while  so  many  thieves  were  daily  hanged, 
so  many  still  remained  in  the  country,  robbing  in  all  places." 

Queen  Elizabeth  hanged  more  than  500  criminals  a  year;  yet 
complained  bitterly  that  the  people  would  not  carry  out  her 
laws,  and  was  obliged  to  appoint  stipendiary  magistrates  to 
inflict  these  penalties.  We  find  from  Strype  that  the  people 
would  not  prosecute  and  the  magistrates  would  not  act. 

So  ill,  in  these  two  cases,  had  the  rigorous  system  succeeded. 

He  then  noticed  the  happy  effects  resulting  from  the  relaxation 
of  penalties  by  King  Alfred  ;  and  in  modern  times  by  the  Duke 
of  Tuscany  and  by  the  United  States  of  America,  and  he  con- 
cluded his  observations  upon  this  part  of  the  subject  with  this 
remark  :  — 

"  Crime  has  increased  in  England  as  compared  with  every  other 
country — as  compared  with  itself  at  different  periods.  Now  what 
species  of  crime  has  increased  ?  Precisely  those  lesser  felonies  which 
are  capital  now,  but  were  not  formerly — which  are  capital  in  England, 
but  in  no  other  country  !  " 

He  had  next  to  remove  a  common  but  false  impression  that 
the  Criminal  Code  was  part  of  the  Common  Law. 

He  first  made  quotations  from  the  codes  of  the  Saxons,  Danes, 
and  Normans,  which  were  palpably  at  variance  with  the  spirit 
of  our  Penal  Code.  They  were  as  tender  of  human  life  as  the 
Code  was  reckless  in  destroying  it.  He  proved  this  also  from 
Coke,  Blackstone,  and  Spelman. 

"  It  is  a  fact,"  said  he,  "  that  six  hundred  men  were  condemned  to 
death  last  year,  upon  statutes  passed  within  the  last  century." 

After  showing  the  hurried  and  careless  manner  in  which  bills 
for  inflicting  death  without  benefit  of  clergy  had  continually 
passed  the  House,  without  debate  or  discussion,  he  stated  his 
affection  and  reverence  for  the  English  Common  Law,  and  the 
unwillingness  he  would  have  felt  to  attack  it,  and  therefore 
claimed  "  a  right  to  gather  confidence  and  encouragement  from 
finding  a  friend  and  advocate  in  that  pre-eminent  authority." 
He  continues, 

"  There  is  no  country  in  which  public  co-operation  is  not  important 

H2 


100  SPEECH  ON  CRIMINAL  LAW.  [CHAP.  vn. 

to  the  execution  of  the  law  ;  but  in  England  this  concurrence  between 
the  people  'and  the  law  is  absolutely  indispensable.  It  is  taken  for 
granted,  that  he  who  can,  will  inform — that  the  person  aggrieved  will 
prosecute.  All  this  is  taken  for  granted,  and  was  justly  so  taken,  as 
long  as  public  feeling  went  along  with  the  law  ;  but  now  a  man's  life  is 
at  issue,  and  this  at  once  seals  the  lips  of  the  man  who  could  inform, 
pacifies  the  prosecutor,  silences  the  witness,  and  sometimes  even  sharpens 
the  merciful  astuteness  of  the  judge.  In  fact,  and  in  truth,  it  effects  the 
deliverance  of  the  felon. 

"  But  worse  than  this,  there  is  a  price  which  we  have  to  pay,  of 
which,  if  I  can  prove  the  existence  and  extent,  no  man  will  deny  that  in 
itself  it  more  than  countervails  every  conceivable  advantage, — I  mean 
the  perjury  of  jurymen." 

After  giving  a  number  of  instances  where  juries  had  clearly 
perjured  themselves  in  order  to  save  the  lives  of  prisoners, 

"  I  hold  in  my  hand,"  he  says,  "  1200  cases  of  a  similar  description. 
Is  it  then  policy  or  prudence — I  say  nothing  of  its  wickedness — to 
tamper  with  what  is  so  very  delicate,  or  even  to  permit  the  reputation  of 
that  oath  to  be  impaired,  or  any  stain  to  be  cast  upon  its  purity  ?  But 
when  the  public  see  twelve  respectable  men,  in  open  court,  in  the  face 
of  day,  in  the  presence  of  a  Judge,  calling  God  to  witness  that  they 
will  give  their  verdict  according  to  the  evidence,  and  then  declaring 
their  belief  in  things,  not  merely  very  strange  or  uncommon,  but  actual 
physical  impossibilities,  absolute  miracles,  wilder  than  the  wildest 
legends  of  monkish  superstition — what  impression  on  the  public  mind 
must  be  made,  if  not  this — that  there  are  occasions  in  which  it  is  not 
only  lawful,  but  commendable,  to  ask  God  to  witness  palpable  and 
egregious  falsehood  ?" 

Referring  to  the  evidence  which  had  been  given  by  a  multi- 
tude of  persons  in  very  different  situations,  of  very  different 
habits  and  opinions,  as  to  the  pernicious  effects  of  the  system  of 
severe  punishment  upon  all  classes  of  society, 

"  I  ask,"  he  said,  "  how  happens  it  that  persons  so  various — filling 
situations  so  various — merchants,  bankers,  solicitors  of  the  Excise,  shop- 
keepers, solicitors  of  the  Old  Bailey,  officers  of  the  police,  clerks  of  the 
police  offices,  magistrates,  and  jurymen — men  bound  together  by  no 
similarity  of  pursuit,  no  identity  of  interest, — by  no  party  feeling,  poli- 
tical or  religious, — how  happens  it,  I  ask,  that  such  persons  should 

'  Wi-ave  such  agreeing  truths,  or  how,  or  why, 
Should  all  conspire  to  client  us  with  a  lie  ?' 


1  >-'!.]  .  THE  SYSTEM  AND  ITS  COST.  101 

....  "  Shall  \ve  accede  to  this  rational  solution  of  the  uniformity 
of  their  testimony  ?  Shall  we  not  rather  conclude  that  they  all  spoke, 
alike  because  they  all  spoke  the  truth,  and  that  the  uniformity  of  the 
evidence  arose  from  the  uniformity  of  the  observation  ? 

"  And  this  opinion  of  practical  men  being  corroborated  by  the 
opinions  of  men  of  profound  thought  and  great  learning — of  Chilling- 
worth,  Johnson,  Franklin,  Pitt,  Fox  ;  of  More,  Bacon,  Coke,  Cla- 
rendon, Ashburton,  and  Blackstone  ;  I  say,  when  I  see  that  the  con- 
clusion at  which  the  wisest  men  have  arrived  by  dint  of  reason  is 
the  same  conclusion  at  which  the  most  practical  men  have  arrived  by 
dint  of  experience  ;  and  that  this,  the  speculation  of  the  learned,  and  the 
observation  of  those  that  gather  up  their  notions  from  the  busy  scenes  of 
life,  has  been  put  to  the  test  in  America  and  in  Tuscany,  and  that  there 
it  has  realised  more  than  the  most  sanguine  expectation; — and  further, 
that  this  system  is  the  common  law  of  England,  and  is  common  sense: — 
I  say,  when  I  have  such  a  body  of  evidence  and  argument — of  fact  and 
authority — of  reason  and  experience, — and  when  our  adversaries,  mem- 
bers of  a  committee  which  sat  for  many  months,  never  once  ventured  to 
hint  at  an  authority,  or  to  produce  a  witness  who  could  gainsay  the  truth 
of  those  doctrines  which  I  am  maintaining  ; — when  I  have  so  much  in 
my  favour,  and  so  very  little  against  me,  I  cannot  but  indulge  the  hope 
that  the  noble  Lord  opposite  and  the  Government  will  do  justice  to  the 
country  by  aiding  the  milder  but  more  efficient  doctrines  of  penal  legis- 
lation which  we  have  endeavoured  to  promulgate." 

He  concluded  his  speech  thus  : — 

"  My  argument  then  is  this.  Our  system  is  before  us.  The  price 
we  pay  for  our  system  is, — the  loss  of  public  opinion,  and  the  aid  (the 
best,  the  cheapest,  and  the  most  constitutional)  which  the  law  gathers 
from  the  concurrence  of  public  opinion  ;  the  necessity  of  doing  that  by 
spies,  informers,  and  blood-money,  which  were  better  done  without 
them  ;  the  annual  liberation  of  multitudes  of  criminals  ;  the  annual  per- 
petration of  multitudes  of  crimes,  perjury,  and  the  utter  abandonment  of 
the  first  of  your  duties,  the  first  of  your  interests,  and  the  greatest  of  all 
charities — the  prevention  of  crime.  This  is  what  you  pay.  And  for 
what  ?  For  a  system  \vhich  has  against  it  a  multitude  of  divines, 
moralists,  statesmen,  lawyers, — an  unrivalled  phalanx  of  the  wise  and 
good  ;  a  system  which  has  against  it  the  still  stronger  authority  of 
practical  men,  who  draw  their  conclusions  from  real  life ;  a  system 
which  has  against  it  the  still  stronger  authority  of  the  Common  Law 
of  England  ;  which,  if  wrong  now,  is  wrong  for  the  first  time  ;  a  system 
which  has  against  it  the  still  stronger  authority  of  experience  and 
experiment,  in  England  on  the  one  hand — in  Tuscany,  in  America,  and 
elsewhere,  on  the  other:  and,  finally,  a  system  which,  in  its  spirit  and 


102  CRIMINAL  LAW.  [CHAP.  VH. 

its  temper,  is  against  the  temper  and  the  spirit  of  that  mild  and  merciful 
religion  which  '  desireth  not  the  death  of  a  sinner,  but  rather  that  he 
should  turn  from  his  wickedness  and  live !'  " 

Numerous  were  the  expressions  of  approbation  which  this 
speech  called  forth.  Sir  James  Mackintosh  said  in  the  House, 
that  it  was  "  the  most  powerful  appeal  that  he  had  ever  had  the 
good  fortune  to  hear  within  the  walls  of  Parliament."*  And 
in  a  subsequent  debate  Mr.  (now  Lord)  Denman  remarked,  that 
"  more  of  wisdom,  more  of  benevolence,  more  of  practical  de- 
monstration he  had  never  heard  in  the  course  of  his  parliamentary 
career,  than  was  contained  in  the  energetic  speech  of  his  honour- 
able friend." 

When,  however,  the  division  took  place  on  the  question, 
"  That  the  bill  for  the  mitigation  of  the  punishment  of  death  for 
forgery  do  pass,"  the  Ayes  were  115,  and  the  Noes  121  :  and 
the  bill  was  consequently  lost ! 

On  the  5th  of  June,  1822,  Sir  James  Mackintosh  again  brought 
forward  the  question,  and  was  again  seconded  by  Mr.  Buxton. 
They  succeeded  in  carrying  by  a  majority  of  sixteen  the  motion, 
"  That  the  House  will  in  the  next  session  consider  the  means  of 
increasing  the  efficacy  of  the  Criminal  Law,  by  abating  the 
rigour  of  its  punishments." 

In  1823,  however,  the  resolutions  proposed  by  Sir  James 
Mackintosh  were  rejected,  and  he  and  his  friends  were  still 
struggling  against  a  superior  force,  when  in  1826,  Mr.  Peel,  on 
his  accession  to  office,  undertook  the  momentous  task  of  re- 
modelling the  whole  penal  code. 

An  account  will  be  given,  in  its  proper  place,  of  the  final 
result  of  the  movement  for  the  mitigation  of  that  sanguinary 
code  by  which,  at  the  period  when  first  Sir  Samuel  Romilly,  and 
afterwards  Sir  James  Mackintosh  and  Mr.  Buxton  brought  the 
subject  forward,  two  hundred  and  thirty  offences  were  punishable 
with  death ! 

*  Hansard,  May,  1821. 


1821.]  LETTER  FROM  W1LBERFORCE.  103 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SLAVERY.        1821—1823. 

Mr.  Buxton  is  chosen  by  Mr.  Wilberforce  as  his  Parliamentary  successor  — 
Common  confusion  of  "  Slavery  "  with  "  Slave  Trade  "  —  Previous  im- 
pressions on  Mr.  Buxton's  mind  —  Priscilla  Gurney's  dying  words  —  He 
studies  the  subject  —  Long  deliberations  —  Fear  of  Servile  Revolt  — 
Undertakes  to  advocate  the  Question  —  Letters  from  Mr.  Wilberforce  — 
Reflections  —  Suttee  — The  Quakers'  Petition  —  Letter  to  Earl  Bathurst 
—  The  First  Debate  on  Slavery  —  Mr.  Canning's  Amendments  —  Ameli- 
orations in  the  Slave's  condition  recommended  to  the  Colonists  —  Letter 
to  Sir  James  Mackintosh. 

THE  evening  after  Mr.  Buxton  had  delivered  his  speech  on 
Criminal  law  lie  received  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  Wil- 
berforce :  — 

"  London,  May  24,  1821. 

"  My  dear  3uxton, — It  is  now  more  than  thirty-three  years  since, 
after  having  g'vcn  notice  in  the  House  of  Commons  that  I  should  bring 
forward,  for  tie  first  time,  the  question  concerning  the  Slave  Trade,  it 
pleased  God  t»  visit  me  with  a  severe  indisposition,  by  which  indeed  I 
was  so  exhausted  that  the  ablest  physician  in  London  of  that  day  declared 
that  I  had  no;  stamina  to  last  above  a  very  few  weeks.  On  this  I  went 
to  Mr.  Pitt  aid  begged  of  him  a  promise,  which  he  kindly  and  readily 
gave  me,  to  fckc  upon  himself  the  conduct  of  that  great  cause. 

"  I  thank  God  I  am  now  free  from  any  indisposition  ;  but  from  my 
time  of  life,  aid  much  more  from  the  state  of  my  constitution,  and  my 
inability  to  bear  inclemencies  of  weather  and  irregularities,  which  close 
attendanceon  the  House  of  Commons  often  requires,  I  am  reminded, 
but  too  intelligibly,  of  my  being  in  such  a  state  that  I  ought  not  to  look 
confidentlyto  my  being  able  to  carry  through  any  business  of  importance 
in  the  Iloue  of  Commons. 

"  Now  .or  many,  many  years  I  have  been  longing  to  bring  forward 
that  great  ubject,  the  condition  of  the  negro  slaves  in  our  Trans- Atlantic 
colonies,  aid  the  best  means  of  providing  for  their  moral  and  social  im- 
provc-inenl  and  ultimately  for  their  advancement  to  the  rank  of  a  free 
peasantry  :  a  cause  this,  recommended  to  me,  or  rather  enforced  on  me, 
by  every  onsideration  of  religion,  justice,  and  humanity. 


104  LETTER  FROM  WILBERFORCE.  [CHAP.  vm. 

"  Under  this  impression  I  have  been  waiting1  with  no  little  solicitude 
for  a  proper  time  and  suitable  circumstances  of  the  country,  for  introduc- 
ing this  great  business  ;  and  latterly,  for  some  Member  of  Parliament, 
who,  if  I  were  to  retire  or  to  be  laid  by,  would  be  an  eligible  leader  in 
this  holy  enterprise. 

"  I  have  for  some  time  been  viewing  you  in  this  connection  ;  and 
after  what  passed  last  night  I  can  no  longer  forbear  resorting  to  you,  as 
I  formerly  did  to  Pitt,  and  earnestly  conjuring  you  to  take  most  seriously 
into  consideration  the  expediency  of  your  devoting  yourself  to  this 
blessed  service,  so  far  as  will  be  consistent  with  the  due  discharge  of  the 
obligations  you  have  already  contracted,  and  in  part  so  admirably  ful- 
filled, to  war  against  the  abuses  of  our  Criminal  law,  both  in  its  structure 
and  its  administration.  Let  roe  then  entreat  you  to  form  an  alliance  with 
me,  that  rnajr  truly  be  termed  holy,  and  if  I  should  be  unable  to  com- 
mence the  war  (certainly  not  to  be  declared  this  session)  ;  and  still  more, 
if,  when  commenced,  I  should  (as  certainly  would,  I  fear,  be  the  case) 
be  unable  to  finish  it,  do  I  entreat  that  you  would  continue  to  prosecute 
it.  Your  assurance  to  this  effect  would  give  me  the  greatest  pleasure  : 
pleasure  is  a  bad  term  —  let  me  rather  say,  peace  and  consolation  ;  for 
alas  !  my  friend,  I  feel  but  too  deeply  how  little  1  have  been  duly  assi- 
duous and  faithful  in  employing  the  talents  committed  to  my  steward- 
ship ;  and  in  forming  a  partnership  of  this  sort  with  you  I  cannot  doubt 
that  I  should  be  doing  an  act  highly  pleasing  to  God,  ard  beneficial  to 
my  fellow  creatures.  Both  my  head  and  heart  are  quite  full  to  over- 
flowing, but  I  must  conclude.  My  dear  friend,  may  it  please  God  to 
bless  you,  both  in  your  public  and  private  course.  If  it  beHis  will,  may 
He  render  you  an  instrument  of  extensive  usefulness  ;  but  above  all, 
may  He  give  you  the  disposition  to  say  at  all  times,  '  Lord,  vhat  wouldest 
thou  have  me  to  do  or  to  suffer?  '  looking  to  Him,  through  Christ,  for 
wisdom  and  strength.  And  while  active  in  business  aid  fervent  in 
spirit  upon  earth,  may  you  have  your  conversation  in  hea'en,  and  your 
affections  set  on  things  above.  There  may  we  at  last  ncet,  together 
with  all  we  most  love,  and  spend  an  eternity  of  holiness  and  happiness 
complete  and  unassailable. 

"  Ever  affectionately  yours, 

"    \V. 


Many  causes  had  been  concurring  to  prepare  Mr.  lux  ton  for 
entering  upon  this  "  holy  enterprise."  His  attention  lad,  at  an 
early  period,  been  drawn,  though  slightly,  to  the  qiestions  of 
Slavery  and  the  Slave  Trade.  In  one  of  his  private  nemoranda 
he  enumerates  among  the  causes  for  thankfulness,  "  vie  strong 
impression  on  my  mother's  mind,  transfused  into  min?  in  very 


1821.]  "SLAVERY"  AND  "SLAVE  TRADE."  105 

early  life,  of  the  iniquity  of  Slavery  and  the  Slave  Trade ; " 
and  he  notices  a  remark  which  she  often  made,  ''  while  we  con- 
tinue to  commit  such  a  sin  how  can  we  ask  forgiveness  of  our 
sins  ? "  He  mentions  also  that  he  used  to  ridicule  his  eldest 
sister  for  refusing1  to  eat  slave-grown  sugar;  "but,"  he  adds, 
"  her  doing  so  made  me  think.  Singular,  too,  that  my  first 
speech  on  entering  college  was  upon  the  Slave  Trade,  and  my 
first  speecli  on  entering  life  was  at  the  Tower  Hamlets  on  the 
same  subject." 

We  have  seen  that  he  had  become  an  active  member  of  the 
African  Institution  ;  and  although  that  body  devoted  its  atten- 
tion to  the  Slave  Trade  alone,  and  did  not  take  up  the  kindred 
question  of  Slavery,  yet  his  connection  with  it  no  doubt  con- 
tributed to  turn  his  mind  to  the  varied  sufferings  of  the  negro 
race. 

The  reader  need  scarcely  be  reminded  that  the  importation  of 
fresh  negroes  from  Africa  to  our  colonies  had  been  declared 
illegal  in  1807,  after  a  twenty  years'  struggle  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Wilberforce,  Mr.  Stephen,  Mr.  Clarkson,  and  their  distin- 
guished coadjutors ;  and  England  had  no  sooner  abolished  her 
own  trade,  than  with  characteristic  energy  she  strove  to  obtain, 
by  persuasion  or  by  purchase,  a  similar  measure  from  the  other 
European  powers.  Whilst,  however,  the  British  Slave  Trade 
had  been  abolished,  British  Slavery  remained.  Though  no  fresh 
Negroes  could  now  be  introduced  into  our  colonies,  yet  those 
who  had  been  already  imported  were  still  held  in  bondage.  It 
is  singular  how  often  the  Slave  Trade  is  confounded  with  Slavery, 
even  in  quarters  where  such  a  blunder  would  be  least  expected. 

There  were  various  reasons  which  prevented  those  who  had 
effected  the  abolition  of  the  Slave  Trade  from  attempting  also  the 
emancipation  of  the  slaves ;  *  but  we  see  in  Mr.  Wilberforce's 
letter  that  the  latter  was  a  subject  which  constantly  weighed 
upon  his  mind,  and  filled  him  with  painful  solicitude. 

When  Mr.  Buxton  first  entered  Parliament,  his  attention  was 
drawn  to  this  question  by  a  letter  from  his  brother-in-law, 
Mr.  William  Forster,  who,  after  describing  the  interest  taken  by 
Mr.  Buxton's  friends  in  his  efforts  for  the  improvement  of  prison 

*  In  1807  Earl  Percy  (afterwards  Duke  of  Northumberland)  proposed  the 
emancipation  of  the  negro  children,  but  without  effect. 


106  PREVIOUS  IMPRESSIONS.  [CHAP.  vin. 

discipline,  expresses  their  earnest  desire  that  he  would  "  take  up 
another  most  important  and  extensive  question,  the  state  of  Africa, 
and  of  the  slave  population  in  the  West  Indies."  "  The  atten- 
tion and  exertions  of  the  wise  and  good,"  proceeds  Mr.  Forster, 
"  have  been  directed,  and,  through  the  Divine  blessing,  not  with- 
out much  success,  towards  staying  the  progress  of  evil  in  the 
abolition  of  the  Slave  Trade  ;  but  now  it  is  certainly  time  to 
turn  the  mind  of  the  British  public  towards  the  situation  of  those 
in  actual  slavery." 

Another  circumstance,  to  which  Mr.  Buxton  often  referred, 
had  prepared  his  mind  for  accepting  the  proffered  advocacy  of  the 
Anti-slavery  cause.  He  thus  mentions  it  in  a  letter,  dated  Oct. 
22,  1821:— 

"  Two  or  three  days  before  Priscilla  Gurney  died,  she  sent  for  me, 
as  desiring  to  speak  to  me  about  something  of  importance.  The  moment 
she  began  to  speak  she  was  seized  with  a  convulsion  of  coughing,  which 
continued  for  a  long  time,  racking  her  feeble  frame.  She  still  seemed 
determined  to  persevere,  but,  at  length,  finding  all  strength  exhausted, 
she  pressed  my  hand  and  said,  '  The  poor,  dear  slaves!'  I  could  not 
but  understand  her  meaning,  for  during  her  illness  she  had  repeatedly 
urged  me  to  make  their  cause  and  condition  the  first  object  of  my  life, 
feeling  nothing  so  heavy  on  her  heart  as  their  sufferings." 

It  was  not,  however,  till  after  long  and  mature  deliberation, 
that  he  accepted  the  weighty  charge  involved  in  Mr.  Wilberforce's 
proposal.  Indeed,  he  does  not  appear  to  have  fully  resolved  upon 
undertaking  it  till  a  year  and  a  half  after  the  receipt  of  Mr.  Wil- 
berforce's letter  ;  but  he  spent  the  interval,  as  far  as  his  other 
avocations  would  permit  him,  in  a  close  study  of  the  question  in 
all  its  bearings.  In  this  he  was  materially  assisted  by  the  present 
of  a  large  collection  of  books  connected  with  the  subject  from 
Mr.  Hoare,  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  African  Insti- 
tution. 

Many  of  his  other  friends  encouraged  him  to  enter  upon  this 
arduous  undertaking,  especially  Mr.  Samuel  and  Mr.  Joseph  John 
Gurney ;  from  whom,  as  from  Mr.  Samuel  Hoare,  he  received 
unremitting  assistance  throughout  the  contest  against  slavery. 

What  chiefly  led' him  to  hesitate  in  adopting  this  question  as 
his  own,  was  the  fear  that  the  discussion  of  it  in  England  might 


1822.]  STUDIES  THE  SUBJECT.  107 

lead  to  a  servile  insurrection  in  the  AVest  Indies.  He  deeply  felt 
the  weight  of  this  responsibility,  and  it  Mas  the  subject  of  long 
and  anxious  thought.  "  If,"  said  he,  "  a  servile  war  should 
break  out,  and  50,000  perish,  how  should  I  like  that  ?"  But 
even  this  extreme  supposition  he  met  by  the  consideration,  "  If  I 
had  two  sons,  I  would  rather  choose  to  have  one  free  and  one 
dead,  than  both  living  enslaved."  In  his  first  Anti-slavery 
speech  he  enters  at  length  into  this  difficulty,  and  mentions  some 
of  the  considerations  which  had  removed  it  from  his  mind ; 
showing  how  often  insurrections  had  been  foretold  by  the  West 
Indians,  and,  that  their  predictions  had  never  been  fulfilled  ;  and 
further,  that,  even  were  this  fear  well  grounded,  •  the  English 
government  ought  not  to  be  terrified  by  it  from  examining  into 
the  infinitely  greater  evil  in  question. 

He  appears  to  have  arrived  at  his  final  decision  in  the  autumn 
of  1822;  in  the  course  of  which  Mr.  Wilberforce  and  Mr. 
Macaulay  visited  Cromer  Hall,  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  the 
question  with  him,  and  also  with  Dr.  Lushington  and  Lord 
Suffield.  Then  was  drawn  the  first  outline  of  those  plans  in 
M'hich  each,  from  this  time,  took  his  respective  and  important 
share. 

Mr.  Wilberforce  writes  after  leaving  Cromer: — 

"  Oct.  5,  1822. 

"  My  dear  Buxton, — We  brought  much  away  from  Cromer  Hall,  but 
we  left  there,  as  I  have  just  discovered,  O'Meara's  '  Voice  from  St. 
Helena.'  My  dear  friend,  never  I  believe,  while  I  remember  any- 
thing, shall  I  forget  the  truly  friendly  reception  we  experienced  under 
your  hospitable  roof.  I  love  to  muse  about  you  all,  and  form  suitable 
wishes  for  the  comfort  and  good  of  each  member  of  your  happy  circle — 
for  a  happy  circle  it  is— and  surely  there  is  nothing  in  the  world  half 
so  delightful  as  mutual  confidence,  affection,  and  sympathy — to  feel 
esteem  as  well  as  good-will  towards  every  human  being  around  you,  not 
only  in  your  own  house,  but  in  the  social  circle  that  surrounds  your 
dwelling,  and  to  be  conscious  that  every  other  being  is  glowing  with  the 
same  esteem  and  love  towards  you.  I  hope  it  is  not  profane  to  say 
that  when  associated  with  heavenly  aspirations  and  relations,  such  a 
state  is  a  sort  of  little  heaven  upon  earth.  My  dear  friend,  never  shall 
I  direct  henceforth  to  Cromer  Hall  without  a  number  of  delightful 
associations.  God  bless  you  all, — and  so  I  trust  He  will.  It  is  quite 
refreshing  in  such  a  world  as  this  to  think  what  a  globule  of  friendship 


103  LONG  DELIBERATIONS.  [CHAP.  vm. 

has  been  accumulated  at  Cromer  from  different  little  drops  sprinkled 
over  the  sea-side.  Give  my  kind  remembrances  to  Mrs.  Buxton,  Pris- 
cilla,  the  Hoares,  Mrs.  Upcher,  and  indeed  to  all  friends  ;  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  Gurney,  and  my  old  friend  Mr.  Hoare  ;  to  the  Lushingtons  and 
Lord  Suffield,  whom  I  hope  to  know  better.  Meanwhile, 

"  I  am,  ever  affectionately  yours, 

"  W.   WlLBERFORCE." 

A  short  time  afterwards  Mr.  Wilberforce  again  wrote,  to 
request  that  he  would  visit  him  at  Marden  Park,  to  arrange  their 
plan  of  operations  for  the  ensuing  session.  He  adds, — 

"  I  have  often  rejoiced  of  late  years  in  thinking  of  my  having  you  for 
an  associate  and  successor,  as  indeed  I  told  you.  Now,  my  dear  Bux- 
ton, my  remorse  is  sometimes  very  great,  from  my  consciousness  that 
•we  have  not  been  duly  active  in  endeavouring  to  put  an  end  to  that 
system  of  cruel  bondage  which  for  two  centuries  has  prevailed  in  our 
West  Indian  colonies ;  and  my  idea  is,  that  a  little  before  Parliament 
meets,  three  or  four  of  us  should  have  a  secret  cabinet  council,  wherein 
we  should  deliberate  to  decide  what  course  to  pursue." 

Mr.  Macaulay  and  Mr.  Buxton  accordingly  arrived  at  Marden 
Park  on  the  8th  of  January  ;  and  (in  the  words  of  the  biogra- 
phers of  Mr.  TVilberforce)  "  long  and  deep  were  their  delibera- 
tions, how  best  to  shape  those  measures  which  were  to  change 
the  structure  of  society  throughout  the  Western  World."  * 

It  is  pleasing  to  observe 'the  spirit  in  which  Mr.  Buxton  en- 
tered upon  that  session  of  Parliament,  in  which  he  was  to  com- 
mence his  arduous  Anti-slavery  career.  In  his  Commonplace 
book,  after  lamenting  that  "  he  was  making  no  advance  in 
spiritual  things,"  he  proceeds  : — 

"  Has  not  my  time  been  squandered  in  unworthy  objects  for  one  who 
has  but  a  short  time  to  prepare  himself  for  immortality  ;  for  one  who 
sees  before  him  so  much  misery  and  so  much  vice,  and  who  feels  that 
labourers  only  are  wanting  to  abate  both  the  misery  and  the  vice  ?  I  am 
sure  that  we  live  in  days  in  which  a  strenuous  advocate  of  what  is  right 
is  nearly  certain  of  success.  I  have  no  reason  for  despondence.  The 
Prison  cause  and  the  Criminal  law  cause  have  both  signally  prospered. 
Grant,  O  Lord  God,  that  I  may  not  spend  my  money  for  that  which  is 
not  bread,  and  my  labour  for  that  which  satisfieth  not ;  but  that  I  may 


;Life  of  Wilbcrforcc,'  vol.  v.  p.  160. 


1823.]  REFLECTIONS.  109 

choose  for  my  first  objects  those  which  merit  the  dedication  of  all  my 
jiowc'rs,  possessions,  energies,  and  influence.  Now,  what  are  the  objects 
thus  deserving  ?  The  salvation  of  my  own  soul  and  the  service  of  God, 
promoting  the  salvation  of  others  and  their  welfare. 

"  Oh  for  that  spirit  of  devotion,  of  gratitude,  of  love  to  Christ,  of  in- 
difference to  the  world,  which  the  Lord  gave  me  in  my  illness!  Let 
me  then  never  pass  a  day  without  serious  and  repeated  prayer — that  is 
indispensable.  Let  me  renounce  the  world  as  much  as  possible  ;  as 
much  as  possible  acknowledge  God  in  all  my  ways  and  words,  and  let 
me  manfully  resist  every  temptation  which  may  assault  and  endanger 
my  soul.  O  God,  grant  these  things  through  thy  blessed  Son  !  Next, 
how  can  I  promote  the  welfare  of  others?  In  private,  by  more  seri- 
ousness in  family  devotions,  and  by  much  more  command  of  temper  ;  by 
more  industry ;  by  more  economy,  sparing  on  my  own  pleasure  and 
expending  on  God's  service.  In  public,  by  attending  to  the  Slave 
Trade,  Slavery,  Indian  widows  burning  themselves,*  the  completion  of 
those  objects  which  have  made  some  advance,  viz.,  Criminal  Law, 
Prisons,  and  Police.  Send  thy  blessed  Spirit,  O  great  God,  to  my  aid, 
and  for  my  guidance,  that,  renouncing  sin,  I  may  walk  worthy  of  my 
high  vocation,  in  and  through  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord." 

TO  MRS.  UPCHER,  AT  SHERINGHAM,  NEAR  CROMER. 

"  London,  Feb.,  1823. 

"  My  hands  are  entirely  full  with  slaves,  Indian  widows,  and  the 
beer  question ;  and  with  the  Spanish  ambassador,  who  is  coming  to 
dinner.  How  far,  how  very  far,  do  I  prefer  Cromer  and  its  neighbour- 
hood to  this  big  town  !  If  I  had  my  choice,  and  could  exactly  think  it 
right  to  follow*  my  own  inclination,  I  should  soon  be  disqualified  for 
franking.  As  for  fame,  '  that  last  infirmity  of  noble  minds,'  it  is  not 
much  of  an  infirmity  of  mine.  To  be  sure  I  get  but  little  of  it,  and  that 
very  little  I  care  as  little  about;  but  then  Indian  widows  and  Slavery, — 

*  He  had  been  encouraged  to  hope  that  this  question  •would  be  taken  up 
by  the  ministers.  He  -writes  in  1822:  "  I  am  highly  gratified  to  find  that 
Government  have  some  notion  of  taking  up  the  subject  of  my  Indian  widows. 
That  would  be  delightful." 

These  hopes  proved  to  be  unfounded;  and  on  the  18th  of  June,  1823,  he 
again  brought  the  subject  formally  before  the  House,  but  without  success. 
Soon  afterwards  he  says  in  a  note  to  a  friend,  "  I  have  been  seeing  the 
Governor  of  India  this  morning,  about  the  annual  immolation  of  thousands 
of  poor  widows.  I  do,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  wish  that  he,  and  such 
as  he,  felt  as  much  about  them  as  I  do."  From  time  to  time  he  brought  the 
subject  before  the  House  of  Commons,  remarking  on  the  culpability  of 
Government  in  continuing  to  countenance  this  atrocious  custom.  The  result 
•will  be  given  in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  narrative. 


110  SLAVERY.  [CHAP.  vnr. 

these  are  subjects  worth  any  sacrifices :  so  no  grumbling,  in  which  I 
was  going  to  indulge." 

TO  JOHN  HENRY  NORTH,  ESQ. 

(After  congratulating  him  warmly  on  his  success  at  the  Irish 

bar),— 

"Feb.  13. 

"  Now  get  into  Parliament,  and  be  wise  enough  to  come  there  abso- 
lutely independent.  .  .  .  Come  into  Parliament,  and  join  us  with  all 
your  force  on  such  subjects  as  the  abolition  of  the  Slave  Trade  and  of 
Slavery,  the  improvement  of  the  Criminal  law  and  Prisons,  the  advance- 
ment of  civilization  and  Christianity  in  India.  Make  these  and  such  as 
these  your  objects,  and  you  will  do  vast  service  to  mankind,  to  yourself, 
and  to  your  friends.  I  do  not  mean,  however,  that  these  should  prevent 
you  from  advancing  in  your  own  pursuits.  I  firmly  believe  that  they 
will  promote  your  welfare,  taking  welfare  in  the  most  worldly  sense." 

To  the  same,  soon  afterwards. 

11  I  presume  you  have  seen  that  the  great  subject  of  Slavery  has  fallen 
into  my  hands.  I  count  on  you  as  an  assured  coadjutor.  Will  you 
accept  a  few  pamphlets,  by  way  of  brief,  and  some  for  circulation  among 
persons  of  influence  ?  How  heartily  and  continually  I  wish  you  were 
with  me  in  the  House !  If  it  does  not  suit  you,  and  if  you  do  not  suit 
it,  I  will  give  up  all  claims  to  the  gift  of  prophecy." 

TO  HIS  ELDEST  SON. 

"  March  20. 

"  My  dear  Boy, — I  was  very  glad  to  receive  your  letter.  I  hear 
that  you  are  very  attentive  to  dear  Mamma  when  you  ride  with  her: 
that  is  right.  *  *  *  You  may  tell  her  that  I  did  not  speak 
last  night;  nobody  replied  to  Wilberforce  about  the  slaves,  so  I  had 
no  opportunity  of  saying  anything.  I  am  glad  your  gardens  are  so  nice 
and  neat  and  beautiful.  I  quite  long  to  see  you  all,  and  find  it  rather 
hard  to  be  kept  away ;  but  I  am  very  busy,  working  hard  for  the  poor 
slaves.  How  glad  I  shall  be  to  hear  you  make  a  speech,  when  you 
are  a  man,  in  their  favour ! 

"  How  are  the  pheasants,  and  the  baby,  and  the  rats,  and  the  ponies, 
and  all  the  other  animals  ?  LoVe  to  you  all." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON. 

"  Maivh  22. 

"  Wednesday  is  the  very  earliest  day  I  can  be  down  with  you,  and  it 
requires  all  my  energy  and  determination  to  keep  to  that.  This  minute 


1823.]  PUBLIC  FEELING  AROUSED.  Ill 

Wilmot,  Under-Secretary  of  State,  has  been  here,  desiring  me  to  call 
on  Lord  Bathurst  on  Wednesday  relative  to  my  Slave  bill.  .  .  .  I  am 
very  earnest  about  Slavery  ;  it  seems  to  me  that  this  is  to  be  the  main 
business  of  my  life, — this  and  Hindoo  widows ;  I  am  well  contented, 
and  want  no  other  business.  How  odd  the  transitions  of  the  human 
mind  are ! — how  occupied  mine  was  with  pheasants  and  partridges  till  I 
left  Norfolk !  and  I  firmly  believe  I  have  not  thought  of  them  five  times 
during  my  whole  stay  in  London ;  but  they  certainly  occupied  too 
much  of  my  time  in  the  autumn.  You  cannot  think  how  affectionate 
and  loving  Wilberforce  was  when  I  called  on  him  yesterday.  I  think 
it  odd  that  we  should  suit  so  well,  having  hardly  one  quality  in 


Anti-slavery  operations  were  now  commenced  with  vigour, 
and  for  some  time  all  went  on  well.  Dr.  Lushington,  Lord 
Suffield,  and  several  others,  who  had  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
the  reformation  of  Prison  Discipline,  now  threw  all  their  energies 
into  this  new  undertaking.  Early  in  March  Mr.  Wilberforce 
published  his  well-known  "  Appeal  on  behalf  of  the  slaves."  At 
about  the  same  time  the  Anti-Slavery  Society  was  formed  (Mr. 
Buxton  being  appointed  a  Vice- President),  and  the  Committee 
engaged  warmly  in  the  task  of  collecting  evidence  and  spreading 
information  through  the  country.  Public  feeling  was  soon 
roused  into  activity,  and  petitions  began  to  flow  in  ;  the  lead  was 
taken  by  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  it  was  determined  that  the 
presentation  of  their  appeal  by  the  hands  of  Mr.  Wilberforce 
should  be  the  opening  of  the  parliamentary  campaign.  He  intro- 
duced it  by  saying  that  a  similar  petition  which  he  had  had  the 
honour  of  presenting  nearly  thirty  years  before,  had  been  the 
first  effort  against  the  kindred  iniquity  of  the  Slave  Trade,  and 
that  in  presenting  this  one  "  he  considered  that  the  first  stone 
was  laid  of  an  edifice  which  would  stand  at  some  future  period, 
an  ornament  to  the  land." 

Mr.  Canning  asked  whether  it  was  his  intention  to  found  any 
motion  upon  it?  Mr.  Wilberforce  said,  "It  was  not,  but  that 
such  was  the  intention  of  an  esteemed  friend  of  his." 

Mr.  Buxton  then  gave  notice  that  on  the  15th  of  May  "  lie 
would  submit  a  motion,  that  the  House  should  take  into  con- 
sideration the  state  of  slavery  in  the  British  Colonies."* 

*  Hansard,  vol.  viii.  p.  627. 


112  AMELIORATIONS  SUGGESTED.  [CHAP.  vm. 

A  few  weeks  before  his  motion  came  on,  he  communicated  his 
intentions  to  the  Government  in  the  following-  letter  addressed 
to  Mr.  "Wilmot  Horton  for  the  perusal  of  Earl  Bathurst : — 

"  Spring  Gardens  Hotel,  April  15,  1823. 

"  My  dear  Sir, — A  severe  indisposition  is,  I  think,  some,  though  a 
poor,  apology  for  not  having  performed  my  promise  of  writing  to  you. 

"  On  the  subject  of  the  line  I  shall  take  about  slavery,  I  must  confess 
that  my  views  are  not  absolutely  determined,  but,  such  as  they  are,  I 
will  state  them.  You  will  not,  however,  consider  me  absolutely  and 
closely  bound  to  them. 

"The  subject  divides  itself  into  two  parts: — the  condition  of  the 
existing  slaves,  and  the  condition  of  their  children. 

"  With  regard  to  the  former,  I  wish  the  following  improvements: — 

"  1.  That  the  slaves  should  be  attached  to  the  island,  and,  under 
modifications,  to  the  soil.  2.  That  they  cease  to  be  chattels  in  the  eye 
of  the  law.  3.  That  their  testimony  be  received  '  quantum  valeat.' 
4.  That  when  any  one  lays  his  claim  to  the  services  of  a  negro,  the 
onus  probandi  should  rest  on  the  claimant.  5.  That  obstructions  to 
manumission  should  be  removed.  6.  That  the  provisions  of  the  Spanish 
law  (fixing  by  competent  authority  the  value  of  the  slave,  and  allowing 
him  to  purchase  a  day  at  a  time)  should  be  introduced.  7.  That  no 
governor,  judge,  or  attorney-general  should  be  a  slave-owner.  8.  That 
an  effectual  provision  should  be  made  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
slaves.  9.  That  marriage  should  be  sanctioned  and  enforced.  10.  That 
the  Sunday  should  be  devoted  by  the  slave  to  repose  and  religious 
instruction;  and  that  other  time  should  be  allotted  for  the  cultivation  of 
his  provision-grounds.  11.  That  some  measures  (but  what  I  cannot 
say)  should  be  taken  to  restrain  the  authority  of  the  master  in  punishing 
his  slaves ;  and  that  some  substitute  be  found  for  the  driving  system. 

"  These  are  the  proposed  qualifications  of  the  existing  slavery  ;  but 
I  am  far  more  anxiously  bent  upon  the  extinction  of  slavery  altogether, 
by  rendering  all  the  Negro  children,  born  after  a  certain  day,  free  : 
for  them  it  will  be  necessary  to  provide  education. 

"  God  grant  that  His  Majesty's  ministers  may  be  disposed  to  accom- 
plish these  objects,  or  to  permit  others  to  accomplish  them  !" 

In  reply  to  an  urgent  request  for  delay,  he  again  writes  to 
Mr.  Wilmot  Horton  : — 

'•  May  10. 

"  Your  letter  really  gives  me  great  pain.  I  do  not  like  to  refuse  any- 
thing you  ask.  I  do  not  like  to  appear  obstinate ;  but  the  opinion  of  all 


1823.]  THE  FIRST  DEBATE  ON  SLAVERY.  113 

the  persons  with  whom  I  act  is  strongly  opposed  to  any  delay,  in  which 
opinion  I  as  strongly  concur. 

"  The  more  the  subject  opens  upon  me,  the  more  do  I  think  that  I 
should  be  answerable  for  a  great  crime  if  I  consented  to  let  the  session 
slip  away  without  proposing  something.  In  short,  pray  excuse  me  for 
saying  that  on  Wednesday  I  will  bring  forward  my  motion." 

On  the  15th  of  May  he  wrote  to  Mrs.  Upcher  : — 

"  In  five  minutes  I  start  for  the  House.  I  hope  to  begin  at  five 
o'clock.  I  am  in  good  health,  in  excellent  spirits,' with  a  noble  cause, 
and  without  fear.  If  I  am  only  given  a  nimble  tongue,  we  shall  do." 

Then  took  place  the  first  debate  on  the  subject  of  Negro 
Slavery.  Mr.  Buxton  began  it  by  moving  a  resolution,  "  That 
the  state  of  slavery  is  repugnant  to  the  principles  of  the  British 
Constitution  and  of  the  Christian  Religion ;  and  that  it  ought  to 
be  gradually  abolished  throughout  the  British  Colonies  with  as 
much  expedition  as  may  be  found  consistent  with  a  due  regard 
to  the  well-being  of  the  parties  concerned." 

In  his  opening  speech  he  plainly  declared  "  The  object  at 
which  we  aim  is  the  extinction  of  slavery — nothing  less  than  the 
extinction  of  slavery, — in  nothing  less  than  the  whole  of  the 
British  dominions :  not,  however,  the  rapid  termination  of  that 
state ;  not  the  sudden  emancipation  of  the  negro  ;  but  such  pre- 
paratory steps,  such  measures  of  precaution,  as,  by  slow  degrees, 
and  in  a  course  of  years,  first  fitting  and  qualifying  the  slaves 
for  the  enjoyment  of  freedom,  shall  gently  conduct  us  to  the 
annihilation  of  slavery." 

When  we  observe  these  words,  and  the  propositions  embodied 
in  Mr.  Buxton's  letter  to  Earl  Bathurst,  we  cannot  help  feeling 
astonished  that  the  Abolitionists  should  have  been  so  long  and 
so  severely  blamed  for  having  rashly  set  the  slaves  free  before 
they  had  fitted  them  for  freedom ;  whereas,  it  was  the  Abo- 
litionists who  desired  to  approach  emancipation  by  a  long  series 
of  preparatory  measures.  It  was  the  planters,  as  the  sequel  will 
prove,  who  rejected  these  preparatory  measures,  because  they 
were  meant  to  pave  the  way  to  ultimate  emancipation. 

The  plan  unfolded  in  Mr.  Buxton's  speech  exactly  corre- 
sponded with  that  contained  in  his  letter  to  Mr.  Wilmot  Horton  ; 
but  he  especially  urged  the  importance  of  emancipating  all  the 
children  of  the  slaves  ;  pointing  out  how  surely,  yet  silently,  the 

i 


114  THE  PLANTER'S  RIGHTS.  [CHAP.  vm. 

curse  of  slavery  would  thus  die  away.  He  proved  that  this  had 
been  done  in  other  countries,  without  that  noise  and  tumult  with 
which  his  opponents  predicted  that  it  would  be  attended.  This 
change  was,  in  fact,  at  that  very  time  silently  proceeding  in 
Ceylon,  Bencoolen,  and  St.  Helena. 

"Now  one  word,"  he  said,  "  as  to  the  right  of  the  master.  There 
are  persons  whose  notions  of  justice  are  so  confused  and  confounded  by 
slavery,  as  to  suppose  that  the  planter  has  something  like  an  honest 
title  to  the  person  of  the  slave.  We  have  been  so  long  accustomed  to 
talk  of  '  my  slave,'  and  '  your  slave,'  and  what  he  will  fetch,  if  sold — 
that  we  are  apt  to  imagine  that  he  is  really  yours  or  mine,  and  that  we 
have  a  substantial  right  to  keep  or  sell  him.  Then  let  us  just  for  a 
moment  fathom  this  right.  Here  is  a  certain  valuable  commodity,  and 
here  are  two  claimants  for  it — a  white  man  and  a  black  man.  Now, 
what  is  the  commodity  in  dispute  ?  The  body  of  the  black  man.  The 
white  man  says,  'it  is  mine,'  and  the  black  man,  'it  is  mine.'  Now 
the  question  is,  if  every  man  had  his  own,  to  whom  would  the  black 
body  belong  ?  The  claim  of  the  black  man  is  just  this — Nature  gave  it 
him — he  holds  it  by  the  grant  of  God.  That  compound  of  bone  and 
muscles  is  his,  by  the  most  irreproachable  of  all  titles — a  title  which 
admits  not,  what  every  other  species  of  title  admits,  a  suspicion  of 
violence,  or  fraud,  or  irregularity.  Will  any  man  say  he  came  by  his 
body  in  an  illegal  manner  ?  Docs  any  man  suspect  he  played  the  knave 
and  purloined  his  limbs  ?  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  negro  is  not  a 
thief — but  he  must  be  a  very  subtle  thief  indeed  if  he  stole  even  so  much 
as  his  own  little  finger. 

"  At  least  you  will  admit  this.  The  negro  has  a  pretty  good  prima 
facie  claim  to  his  own  person.  If  any  man  thinks  he  has  a  better — the 
onus  probandi  rests  with  him.  Then  we  come  to  the  claim  of  the  white 
man.  What  is  the  foundation  of  your  right  ?  It  shall  be  the  best  that 
can  be  possibly  conceived.  You  received  him  from  your  father — very 
good.  Your  father  bought  him  from  a  neighbouring  planter — very 
good.  That  planter  bought  him  of  a  trader  in  the  Kingston  Slave 
Market,  and  that  trader  bought  him  of  a  man-merchant  in  Africa.  So 
far  you  are  quite  safe !  How  did  the  man-merchant  acquire  him  ?  He 
stole  him,  he  kidnapped  him.  The  very  root  of  your  claim  is  robbery, 
violence,  inconceivable  wickedness.  If  anything  on  earth  was  ever 
produced  by  evidence,  it  was  proved  by  the  Slave  Trade  Committee 
that  the  method  of  obtaining  slaves  in  Africa  was  jobbery,  man-stealing, 
and  murder.  Your  pure  title  rests  on  these  sacred  foundations.  If 
your  slave  came  direct  from  Africa,  your  right  to  his  person  is  abso- 
lutely nothing.  But  your  claim  to  the  child  born  in  Jamaica  is  (if  I 


1823.]  MR.  CANNING'S  AMENDMENTS.  115 

may  use  the  expression)  less  still.  The  new-born  infant  has  done,  can 
have  done,  nothing  to  forfeit  his  right  to  freedom.  And  to  talk  about 
rights,  justice,  equity,  and  law  as  connected  with  slavery,  is  downright 
nonsense.  If  we  had  no  interest  in  the  case,  and  we  were  only 
speaking  of  the  conduct  of  another  nation,  we  should  all  use  the  same 
language ;  and  we  should  speak  of  slavery  as  we  now  speak  of  slave- 
trading — that  is,  we  should  call  it  rank,  naked,  flagrant,  undisguised 
injustice. 

"  Now,  sir,  observe  the  moderation  with  which  we  proceed.  We 
say,  '  Make  no  more  slaves,  desist  from  that  iniquity ;  stop,  abstain 
from  an  act,  in  itself  a&  full  of  guilt,  entailing  in  its  consequences  as 
much  of  misery,  as  any  felony  you  can  mention.'  We  do  not  say, 
'  Retrace  your  steps,'  but  '  stop.'  We  do  not  say,  '  Make  reparation  for 
the  wrong  you  have  done  ;'  but  '  do  no  more  wrong  ;  go  no  further  ; 
complete  what  you  have  commenced  ;  screw  from  your  slave  all  that 
his  bones  and  his  muscles  will  yield  you, — only  stop  there  : '  and  when 
every  slave  now  living  shall  have  found  repose  in  the  grave,  then  let 
it  be  said  that  the  country  is  satiated  with  slavery  and  has  done  with  it 
for  ever." 

An  animated  debate  ensued,  and  Mr.  Canning  moved  and 
carried  certain  amendments  to  Mr.  Buxton's  resolution  ;  the 
most  important  of  which  was  the  insertion  of  the  words,  "  with 
a  fair  and  equitable  consideration  of  the  interests  of  private  pro- 
perty." Plausible  as  this  addition  seemed,  the  Anti-slavery 
party  feared,  and,  as  we  shall  see,  but  too  justly,  that  it  would 
afford  the  West  Indians  a  handle  on  future  occasions ;  but  the 
discussion  grew  warmest  when  Mr.  Canning  brought  forward 
his  plan,  that  the  proposed  ameliorations  should  be  suggested  to 
the  colonial  legislatures,  but  should  only  be  enforced  in  the 
island  of  Trinidad,  which  being  one  of  the  crown  colonies  had 
no  legislature  of  its  own,  with  the  further  condition,  however, 
that  any  unexpected  resistance  to  the  suggestions  should  be  met 
by  authority. 

The  following  were  the  resolutions  carried  by  Mr.  Canning, 
to  which  we  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to  refer  in  detailing 
the  proceedings  during  the  subsequent  ten  years. 

1st.  "  That  it  is  expedient  to  adopt  effectual  and  decisive  measures 
for  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the  slave  population  in  his  Majesty's 
colonies. 

2nd.  "  That,  through  a  determined  and  persevering,  but  at  the  same 
time  judicious  and  temperate  enforcement  of  such  measures,  this  House 

i  2 


116  MR.  BUXTON'S  REPLY.  [CHAP.  vin. 

looks  forward  to  a  progressive  improvement  in  the  character  of  the 
slave  population,  such  as  may  prepare  them  for  a  participation  in  those 
civil  rights  and  privileges  which  are  enjoyed  by  other  classes  of  his 
Majesty's  subjects. 

3rd.  "That  this  House  is  anxious  for  the  accomplishment  of  this 
purpose,  at  the  earliest  period  that  shall  be  compatible  with  the  well- 
being  of  the  slaves  themselves,  with  the  safety  of  the  colonies,  and 
with  a  fair  and  equitable  consideration  of  the  interests  of  private  pro- 
perty." 

The  debate  concluded  with  a  reply  from  Mr.  Buxton,  which 
is  mentioned  by  Mr.  Wilberforce  as  having  been  "  short  and, 
not  sweet  indeed,  but  excellent."*  We  will  give  one  extract 
from  it.t  It  was  in  answer  to  the  argument  that  the  danger 
arose  not  from  slavery  itself,  but  from  the  discussion  of  slavery 
in  the  House. 

"  What  then !"  he  exclaimed,  "  does  the  slave  require  any  hint  from 
us  that  he  is  a  slave,  and  that  slavery  is  of  all  conditions  the  most 
miserable?  Why,  sir,  he  hears  this,  he  sees  it,  he  feels  it,  too,  in  all. 
around  him.  He  sees  his  harsh,  uncompensaled  labour ;  he  hears  the 
crack  of  the  whip  ;  he  feels — he  writhes  under  the  lash.  Does  not  this 
betray  the  secret  ? 

'  This  is  no  flattery ;  these  are  counsellors 
That  feelingly  persuade  him  what  he  is.' 

He  sees  the  mother  of  his  children  stripped  naked  before  the  gang  of 
male  negroes  and  flogged  unmercifully ;  he  sees  his  children  sent  to 
market,  to  be  sold  at  the  best  price  they  will  fetch ;  he  sees  in  himself 
not  a  man,  but  a  thing — by  West  Indian  law  a  chattel,  an  implement  of 
husbandry,  a  machine  to  produce  sugar,  a  beast  of  burden !  And  will 
any  man  tell  me  that,  the  negro,  with  all  this  staring  him  in  the  face, 
flashing  in  his  eyes,  when  he  rises  in  the  morning  and  when  he  goes  to 
bed  at  night — never  dreams  that  there  is  injustice  in  such  treatment 
till  he  sits  himself  down  to  the  perusal  of  an  English  newspaper,  and 
there,  to  his  astonishment,  discovers  that  there  are  enthusiasts  in  Eng- 
land who  from  the  bottom  of  their  hearts  deplore  and  abhor  all  nogro 
slavery  ?  There  are  such  enthusiasts  ;  I  arn  one  of  them  ;  and  while  we 
breathe  we  will  never  abandon  the  cause,  till  that  thing — that  chattel 
— is  reinstated  in  all  the  privileges  of  man  !" 


*  Life,  vol.  v.  p.  1 78. 

t  Hansard's  Debates.    New  Scries,  vol.  ix.  p.  358. 


1823-]  INTERVIEW  WITH  MR.  CANNING.  117 

Although  the  emancipation  of  children  was  lost,  and  even  the 
alleviations  of  the  slaves'  condition  were  not  to  be  compulsory, 
yet  this  debate  was  an  important  step  gained  ;  and  Mr.  Buxton's 
emphatic  words  in  his  opening  speech  were  verified  : — "  A  few 
minutes  ago  was  commenced  that  process  which  will  conclude, 
though  not  speedily,  in  the  extinction  of  slavery  throughout  the 
British  dominions." 

Mr.  Buxton  had  various  communications  with  Mr.  Canning 
after  the  debate,  and  especially  one  long  interview  in  company 
with  Mr.  Wilberforce  and  Mr.  William  Smith.  On  this  im- 
portant occasion,  for  which  he  had  carefully  prepared,  he 
thoroughly  ascertained  Mr.  Canning's  opinions  on  all  points 
connected  with  the  treatment,  present  and  prospective,  of  colo- 
nial slaves.  He  then  wrote  down  what  had  passed,  and  sub- 
mitted the  statement  to  Mr.  Canning.  The  document  strikingly 
displays  the  laborious  accuracy  and  the  sturdy  determination  to 
verify  every  point  of  his  case,  which  characterised  his  conduct 
.  throughout  the  entire  contest.  Mr.  Canning  returned  the  paper 
.with  many  autograph  notes  upon  it,  and  Mr.  Buxton  therefore 
exactly  knew  what  were  the  ministers'  intentions  at  this  period. 
Neither  party,  however,  were  as  yet  aware  of  the  difficulties  of 
the  case. 

In  accordance  with  the  Resolutions  of  the  House,  at  the  end 
of  May,  Circular  Letters  were  addressed  by  the  Government  to 
the  various  colonial  authorities,  recommending  them  to  adopt  the 
following  reforms : — 

1.  To  provide  the  means  of  religious  instruction  and  Christian  educa- 
tion for  the  slave  population. 

2.  To  put  an  end  to  markets  and  to  labour  on  the  Sunday,  and,  in- 
stead of  Sunday,  to  allow  the  negroes  equivalent  time  on  other  days  for 
the  cultivation  of  their  provision  grounds. 

3.  To  protect  the  slaves  by  law  in  the  acquisition  and  possession  of 
property,  and  in  its  transmission  by  bequest  or  otherwise. 

4.  To  legalise  the  marriages  of  slaves,  and  to  protect  them  in  the 
enjoyment  of  their  connubial  rights. 

5.  To  prevent  the  separation  of  families  by  sale  or  otherwise. 

6.  To  restrain  generally  the  power,  and  to  prevent  the  abuse,  of 
arbitrary  punishment  at  the  will  of  the  master. 

7.  To  abolish  the  degrading  corporal  punishment  of  females. 

8.  To  admit  the  testimony  of  slaves  in  courts  of  justice. 


118  CIRCULAR  SENT  TO  THE  COLONIES.      [CHAP.  vm. 

9.  To  prevent  the  seizure  of  slaves  detached  from  the  estate  or  plan- 
tation to  which  they  belonged. 

10.  To  remove  all  the  existing  obstructions  to  manumission,  and  to 
grant  to  the  slave  the  power  of  redeeming  himself  and  his  wife  and 
children  at  a  fair  price. 

11.  To  abolish  the  use  of  the  driving  whip  in  the  field,  either  as  an 
emblem  of  authority,  or  as  a  stimulus  to  labour. 

12.  To  establish  Savings  Banks  for  the  use  of  the  slaves. 

Surely  there  was  good  ground  for  anticipating  that  the  Colo- 
nial Assemblies  would  gladly  listen  to  these  temperate  and 
salutary  suggestions. 

While  anxiously  awaiting  the  result,  Mr.  Buxton  deliberately 
weighed  the  propriety  of  accepting  an  invitation  from  Lord 
Huntingdon  to  visit  the  West  Indies  in  person ;  but  when  this 
plan  was  referred  to  Mr.  Wilberforce  he  gave  a  most  decided 
opinion  against  it.* 

Sir  James  Mackintosh  had  not  hitherto  taken  any  part  in  this 
question  ;  and  Mr.  Buxton,  being  extremely  anxious  to  engage 
his  brilliant  abilities  and  benevolent  heart  in  its  favour,  addressed 
the  following  letter  to  him  : — 

"  Cromer  Hall,  Nov.  30,  1823. 

"  My  dear  Sir  James, — Your  letter  reached  me  just  as  I  was  leaving 
town.  I  much  regret  that  I  was  thus  prevented  from  talking  with  you 
on  Criminal  law  and  Colonial  reform.  The  latter  of  these  very  much 
occupies  my  mind.  I  feel  that  a  question  of  greater  magnitude,  affect- 
ing the  happiness  of  a  larger  number  of  persons,  has  seldom  been 
agitated  ;  and  I  also  feel  that  the  crisis  has  arrived,  in  which  we  must 
either  begin  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  slaves,  and  indeed  to 


*  Mr.  Buxton  could  not,  as  yet,  have  been  aware  of  the  reception  which 
his  proposed  reforms  would  meet  with  in  the  West  Indies,  and  the  deadly 
hostility  with  which  their  author  would  be  regarded,  or  he  would  not  have 
entertained  for  an  instant  the  idea  of  this  visit.  Capt.  Studholnie  Hodgson, 
of  the  19th  Foot,  in  his  work  called  '  Truths  from  the  West  Indies,'  after 
mentioning  "  the  volumes  of  abuse  lavished  upon  Sharpe,  Wilberforce, 
Lushington,  Stephen,  Buxton,  and'Admiral  Fleming,"  continues  : — "  This 
enmity  seems  to  be  more  deadly  towards  the  two  latter  than  even  that  enter- 
tained for  the  others  ;  and  I  will  undertake  to  say,  that  were  these  two 
gentlemen  to  arrive  in  any  island  in  the  West  Indies,  and  venture  to  move 
out  unsurrounded  by  a  guard  of  those  grateful  beings,  who,  night  and  day, 
implore  blessings  upon  them,  they  would  inevitably  be  torn  to  pieces  by  the 
Europeans,  who  would  all  vie  as  to  who  could  most  mangle  their  bodies." — 
(P.  190.) 


1823.]  LETTER  TO  SIR  JAMES  MACKINTOSH.  119 

strike  a  blow  at  slavery,  or  in  which  slavery  will  be  more  firmly  estab- 
lished than  ever.  I  ain,  however,  I  must  coni'ess,  alarmed,  not  at  the 
reproach  which  is  heaped  on  me,  nor  at  the  danger  said  to  be  produced 
in  the  West  Indies  by  rny  motion.  I  disregard  the  former,  and  utterly 
disbelieve  the  latter  ;  but  I  am  alarmed  at  the  prodigious  strength  of  the 
West  Indian  party,  and  at  the  inability  of  the  person  to  whom  the 
cause  of  seven  hundred  thousand  human  beings  is  committed.  How 
often  have  I  wished  that  that  good  cause  were  blessed  with  the  full, 
hearty,  unreserved  co-operation  of  yourself !  .  .  .  If  I  have  to  fight  the 
battle  without  such  aid,  the  cause  of  justice  and  humanity  will  undoubt- 
edly suffer  from  the  feebleness  of  its  advocate.  With  that  aid,  and  with 
that  of  Brougham,  of  whom  we  are  sure,  I  doubt  not  that  the  sons  of 
the  present  slaves  will  be  raised  to  a  state  of  villeinage,  and  their 
grandsons  will  be  freemen.  .  .  .  Now  I  have  written  this  I  am  ready 
to  tear  it  to  pieces,  and  to  wonder  at  my  own  presumption  in  having 
written  it.  It  shall  however  go.  It  is  an  entreaty  for  more  than  half 
a  million  of  human  beings  who  cannot  supplicate  for  themselves,  and 
against  whom  there  are  many  who  can  canvass  and  are  canvassing 
stoutly." 

All  his  letters  to  Mr.  Wilberforce  have  been  destroyed ;  an 
unfortunate  circumstance,  for  their  number  and  interest  are 
attested  by  those  of  Mr.  Wilberforce  to  himself,  which  still 
remain.  One  of  the  latter,  dated  December  27, 1823,  appears  to 
be  a  reply  to  Mr.  Buxton's  account  of  the  laborious  study  of 
documents  which  occupied  him  during  that  winter. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — Excellent!  Excellent !  I  highly  approve  of  your 
practice.  Of  course  I  approve  with  one  understood  condition,  that  you 
endeavour  to  bear  the  apostle's  precept  in  mind, — '  Whatsoever  ye  do, 
in  word  or  deed,  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.'  This  will  be 
rendering  your  slavery  studies  '  Exercises  unto  Godliness.'  But  other- 
wise I  assure  you  I  have  found  books  steal  away  my  heart  from  the 
Sitrsnm  corda  habit  (spirituality  of  mind  I  mean,  living  among  invisibles) 
more  than  worldly  business.  Excuse  this  hint ;  it  is  prompted  by  true 
friendship.  You  greatly  disparage  your  faculties.  If  you  require  more 
time  to  imprint  things  in  your  mind,  it  is  because  you  cut  the  letters 
deeply.  Alas !  I  know  from  experience,  that  superficial  engraving  is 
too  often  and  too  easily  effaced." 


120  EXCITEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES.        [CHAP.  ix. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SLAVEBY.       1823—1826. 

Excitement  in  the  West  Indies  —  The  Negroes  refuse  to  work  —  Severe 
Measures  —  Death  of  the  Missionary  Smith  —  The  Abolitionists  bitterly 
reproached  —  Mr.  Buxton's  Plan  —  Interviews  with  Mr.  Canning  — 
Popular  Clamours  —  The  Government  draws  back — Anxieties  and 
Doubts  —  Letter  from  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney  —  The  Debate  —  The  Govern- 
ment gives  way  —  Mr.  Buxton  attacks  them  —  Encouragements  from 
Mr.  Wilberforce  —  Mr.  Brougham's  Speech  on  Smith's  Case  —  Its  effect 
on  the  Country  —  Mr.  Wilberforce  retires  —  The  small  number  of 
Abolitionists  in  Parliament  —  Dr.  Lushington  —  Mr.  Macaulay  —  Mr. 
Buxton's  Policy  —  Free  People  of  Colour  —  Treatment  of  Mr.  Shrews- 
bury —  Debate  —  Deliberations  —  The  London  Petition  —  Mr.  Den- 
man's  Motion  —  A  Year's  Pause. 

THE  news  of  Mr.  Buxton's  attack  on  what  the  planters  considered 
to  be  their  just  rights,  and  of  the  acquiescence  of  the  Govern- 
ment in  his  principles,  were  received  in  the  "West  Indies  with 
the  most  vehement  indignation.*  For  some  weeks  after  the 
arrival  of  the  despatches,  not  the  slightest  restraint  seems  to 
have  been  put  on  the  violence  of  their  rage,  which  drove  them 
to  the  wildest  designs.  Thoughts  were  openly  entertained  of 
resisting  the  innovations  of  the  Government  by  force  of  arms. 
It  was  even  proposed  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  the  mother 
country,  and  place  themselves  under  the  protection  of  America. 
They  could  find  no  language  sufficiently  bitter  to  express  their 
rancour  ;t  and  the  colonial  legislatures  unanimously  refused 
submission  to  the  recommendations  of  the  Government. 

*  To  the  honour,  be  it  said,  of  the  islands  of  Grenada,  St.  Vincent's,  and 
St.  Christopher's,  they  did  not  join  in  the  outcry  raised  by  the  generality  of 
the  West  Indian  Islands. 

t  The  following  extract  from  the  Jamaica  Journal  is  a  specimen  of  the 
abuse  lavished  upon  Parliament,  Mr.  Canning,  Earl  Bathurst.  and  "  those 
canting,  hypocritical  rascals,"  the  Abolitionists.  (No.  11,  Saturday,  June  28, 
1823.)  ..."  We  will  pray  the  Imperial  Parliament  to  amend  their  origin, 
which  is  bribery  ;  to  cleanse  their  consciences,  which  are  corrupt;  to  throw 


1823.]  THE  NEGROES  REFUSE  TO  WORK.  121 

When  the  Order  in  Council  reached  Demerara,  the  authorities 
of  the  colony  endeavoured  to  conceal  the  intelligence  from  the 
black  population.  Their  precautions  were  worse  than  useless  ; 
exaggerated  rumours  soon  spread  abroad.  The  negroes  fancied 
that  u  the  great  King  of  England  "  had  set  them  free,  and  that 
the  planters  had  suppressed  his  edict ;  and  under  this  impression 
the  slaves  on  several  estates  refused  to  work.  Compulsion  was 
resorted  to — they  resisted,  and  commenced  outrages  on  the  pro- 
perty and  persons  of  the  whites.  Martial  law  was  proclaimed, 
and  the  soldiers  called  out. 

Destitute  alike  of  organisation,  of  leaders,  and  of  arms,  the 
slaves  were  at  once  reduced  to  subjection.  In  performing  this 
duty  not  one  soldier  was  killed ;  but  pressed  down  and  running 
over  was  the  measure  of  vengeance  dealt  to  the  unhappy 
negroes. 

"  It  was  deemed  fitting,"  said  Mr.  Brougham,  "  to  make  tremendous 
examples  of  them.  Considerably  above  a  hundred  fell  in  the  field, 
where  they  did  not  succeed  in  putting  one  soldier  to  death.  A  number 
of  the  prisoners  also,  it  is  said,  were  hastily  drawn  out  at  the  close  of 
the  affray  and  shot.  How  many  in  the  whole  have  since  perished  by 
sentences  of  the  court  does  not  appear,  but  by  the  end  of  September 
forty-seven  had  been  executed.  A  more  horrid  tale  of  blood  yet 
remains  to  be  told.  Within  the  short  space  of  a  week  ten  were  torn  in 
pieces  by  the  lash  ;  some  of  these  had  been  condemned  to  six  or  seven 
hundred  lashes ;  five  to  one  thousand  each ;  of  which  inhuman  torture 
one  had  received  the  whole,  and  two  almost  the  whole  at  once."  * 

The  colonists  were  not  satisfied  by  the  severity  with  which  the 
rebel  negroes  had  been  visited.  For  some  time  the  attention  of 
religious  men  in  England  had  been  drawn  to  the  wretched 
ignorance  and  depravity  of  the  lower  orders  in  our  colonial 
islands.  Various  denominations  of  Christians  had  sent  out  mis- 
sionaries to  instruct  them,  and  the  Independents  and  Wesleyans 
had  distinguished  themselves  by  their  Christian  zeal.  It  was  no 
path  of  flowers  which  these  missionaries  had  chosen.  The  colo- 
nists were  violently  opposed  to  change ;  and  with  the  usual 
feelings  of  despotic  masters,  they  could  not  endure  the  idea  of 

off  their  disguise,  -which  is  hypocrisy  ;  to  break  with  their  false  allies,  who 
are  the  saints ;  and,  finally,  to  banish  from  among  them  all  the  purchased 
rogues,  who  are  three-fourths  of  their  number." 
*  Hansard's  Debates.    New  Series,  vol.  xi.  p.  995. 


122  DEATH  OF  MISSIONARY  SMITH.  [CHAP.  ix. 

allowing  their  slaves  to  be  educated  ;  yet,  in  the  face  of  danger 
and  persecution,  the  missionaries  persevered,  and  many  of  the 
negroes  were  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  religion.  The 
planters  had  tried  every  means  to  stop  this  "  nuisance ;"  and 
when  the  rebellion  broke  out,  they  resolved  to  fix  it  upon  the 
Christian  teachers  of  the  negroes. 

The  particulars  of  "  Smith's  case,"  afterwards  so  ably  treated 
by  Mr.  Brougham,  need  not  here  be  dwelt  on.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  he  was  an  Independent  missionary ;  was  tried  in  a  manner 
not  only  unjust,  but  absolutely  illegal,  before  a  court-martial  of 
militia  officers,  and  condemned  to  be  hanged  ;  but  his  treatment 
in  prison  destroyed  his  previously  failing  health,  and  he  died  in 
his  dungeon  in  time  to  anticipate  the  executioner.* 

The  news  of  the  ferment  among  the  colonists,  with  the  rapidly 
succeeding  intelligence  of  the  revolt  of  the  negroes,  of  their 
overthrow,  and  of  the  severities  inflicted  upon  them  and  upon 
their  teachers,  soon  reached  England.  The  disappointment  and 
grief  of  the  leading  members  of  the  anti-slavery  party  were  great 
indeed ;  their  lukewarm  partisans  left  them  at  once,  and  joined 
in  the  loud  outcry  which  arose  against  them.  They  were  de- 
nounced as  the  causes  of  the  disaffections  of  the  colonists  and  the 
disorders  among  the  slaves.  The  people  at  large,  in  looking  at 
the  confusions  of  the  colonies,  did  not  remember  how  gentle  a 
remedy  for  the  admitted  evil  of  slavery  was  the  one  proposed  by 
Mr.  Buxton ;  that  all  parties  in  England  had  agreed,  with  some 
modifications,  as  to  its  prudence ;  and  that  only  to  the  wilfulness 
and  prejudice  of  the  colonists  were  these  unhappy  results  to  be 
ascribed.  But  the  angry  reproaches  which  rang  in  Mr.  Buxton's 
ears  were  as  nothing  when  compared  with  the  mortification  he 
experienced  on  discovering  that  the  Government,  appalled  by  the 

*  While  Smith  was  dying  in  his  prison  (which  is  described  as  a  place 
only  suited  to  purposes  of  torture),  he  was  compelled  by  his  persecutors  to 
draw  a  bill  upon  the  funds  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  in  order  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  his  so-called  trial.  Many  years  afterwards  the  secre- 
tary of  that  Society,  in  arranging  some  old  papers,  met  with  this  bill.  In 
looking  at  it,  his  attention  was  drawn  to  one  corner  of  the  sheet,  and,  on 
examining  it  more  carefully,  he  found,  written  in  a  minute  hand,  the  refer- 
ence "  -2  Cor.  iv.  8,  9  :"  on  turning  to  which  he  found  the  text,  "  We  are 
troubled  on  every  side,  yet  not  distressed ;  we  are  perplexed,  but  not  in 
despair  ;  persecuted,  but  not  forsaken ;  cast  down,  but  not  destroyed." 


1824.]  Mil.  HfXTON'S  POSITION.  123 

consequences  of  the  steps  which  they  had  taken,  and  apparently 
as  regardless  of  their  own  dignity  as  of  the  interests  of  their 
black  subjects,  were  determined  to  forfeit  the  pledge  which  Mr. 
Canning  had  given — that,  if  obedience  were  not  voluntarily 
rendered  by  the  colonial  legislatures,  it  should  be  enforced. 
Rumours  to  this  effect  soon  spread  abroad  ;  but  they  were  of  so 
indefinite  a  character,  that  the  Abolitionists  could  not  tell  what 
steps  the  Government  proposed  to  take,  nor  what  preparations 
should  be  made  against  them.  All  the  circumstances  seemed  to 
call  on  Mr.  Buxton  to  stop,  but  far  from  staying  his  steps  he 
rather  pushed  forward.  He  was  contemplating  a  new  plan, 
namely,  the  emancipation  of  all  children  under  seven  years  of 
age,  ample  compensation  being  granted  to  the  masters :  the 
children  were  to  be  educated  and  maintained  by  the  British 
Government  till  they  were  seven  years  old,  and  then  apprenticed 
to  their  former  masters ;  after  which  they  should  be  free. 

The  following  letters  will  show  fully  how  the  sense  of  the 
difficulty  of  his  position,  and  of  the  necessity  there  was  for  firmly 
maintaining  it,  gradually  increased  in  his  mind. 

TO  ZACHARY  MACAULAY,  ESQ. 

"  Ampton,  Jan.  14,  1824. 

"  Here  I  am,  and  have  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  Wilbcrforce  in 
good  health.  He  seems  by  no  means  discouraged  about  our  cause. 
Clarkson  appears  to  have  done  his  work  well.  At  Norwich  our  friends 
were  somewhat  intimidated ;  but  he  had  a  meeting  there,  which  revived 

all  their  ardour I  have  been  hard  at  work,  reading  and  making 

extracts  from  all  the  parliamentary  slave  papers.  I  arn  forming  a  dic- 
tionary, in  which  I  insert  information  under  different  heads ;  I  call  it 
'  My  Macaulay.'  "  * 

On  going  to  London  in  February  he  writes  to  Mrs.  Buxton, 
who  remained  for  a  week  or  two  longer  at  Cromer  Hall : — 

"  Feb.  9. 

"  As  yet  we  have  had  no  debate  on  Slavery,  but  our  foes  are  so  very 
furious  that  I  imagine  we  shall  soon  begin.  I  am  intensely  busy.  On 


*  When  any  of  Mr.  Macaulay's  anti-slavery  friends  -wanted  information, 
the}'  used  to  say,  "  Let  us  look  it  out  in  Macaulay,"  and  rarely  were  they 
disappointed  in  their  references  to  him. 


124  ANXIETIES  AND  DOUBTS.  [CHAP.  ix. 

Saturday  we  had  a  meeting,  to  which  I  read  my  plan.  The  more  I 
think  of  it,  the  more  I  like  it.  We  meet  again  on  Saturday :  in  the 
interim,  an  attack  will  probably  be  made  on  us,  which  I  am  to  answer. 
I  shall  endeavour  to  do  it  with  effect.  We  have  a  capital  case  as  to  the 
Demerara  insurrection.  Smith  is  innocent.  They  have  offered  him 
mercy  if  he  will  ask  for  it,  and  he  has  refused,  standing  on  his  innocence. 
I  am  in  excellent  spirits,  and  hold  my  head  very  high  in  the  matter,  and 
mean  to  be  rather  bold  in  my  defence.  I  expect  to  see  Canning  to- 
morrow ;  he  seems  very  cold  to  me,  and  the  report  is  he  will  join  the 
West  Indians.  If  he  does,  we  shall  go  to  war  with  him  in  earnest." 

"  Feb.  10. 

"  My  interview  with  Canning  is  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  what 
Government  means  to  do,  and  of  seeing  whether  he  is  disposed  to  re- 
ceive any  plan  from  us." 

"Feb.  11. 

"  I  am  so  languid  with  over  thought  and  over  work,  that  I  hardly 
know  how  to  write,  but  it  is  worth  while  to  spend  one's  strength  on  that 
which,  if  it  succeeds,  will  change  the  condition,  almost  the  nature,  of 
700,000  human  beings.  On  Saturday  we  meet  Canning  at  12  o'clock, 
and  Brougham,  and  all  the  leaders  of  our  party,  at  the  Duke  of  Glou- 
cester's, at  3  o'clock.  Then  we  shall  decide  on  our  course.  I  am  not 
one  bit  discouraged,  and  heartily  wish  a  discussion  could  be  brought 
about,  as  I  think  it  would  change  public  opinion.  How  much,  how 
very  much  happier  I  am  in  my  Cromer  retreat,  than  in  the  midst  of  all 
this  bustle  and  turbulence  !  When  you  come,  I  shall  be  quieter,  I  hope. 
I  am  obliged  to  attend  constantly  at  the  House." 

"  Canning's  Office,  6  o'clock,  Feb.  14. 

"  We  have  had  a  very  unsatisfactory  interview  with  Canning.  * 
The  Government  mean  to  forfeit  their  pledge,  and  to  do  next  to  nothing. 
*  *  *  *  I  have  now  seen  Canning  again.     He  promises  to  postpone 
any  declaration  to  Parliament  till  he  sees  my  plan." 

TO  A  FRIEND. 

"  Feb.  16. 

"  The  degree  of,  opposition  I  will  not  call  it,  but  virulence,  against 
me  is  quite  surprising.  I  much  question  whether  there  is  a  more  un- 
popular individual  than  myself  in  the  House  just  at  this  moment.  For 
this  I  do  not  care. 

"  17th. — The  Slavery  question  looks  wretchedly.  I  begin  to  think 
that,  opposed  as  we  are  by  the  West  Indians,  deserted  by  Government, 
and  deemed  enthusiasts  by  the  public,  we  shall  be  able  to  do  little  or 
nothing.  However,  I  rejoice  that  we  have  tried." 


1824.]  UNPOPULARITY  INCURRED.  125 

It  was  indeed  no  light  unpopularity  which  Mr.  Buxton  had 
incurred.  Both  within  and  without  the  walls  of  the  House,  ridi- 
cule and  abuse  were  heaped  upon  the  Abolitionists  during  the 
first  years  of  their  attack  on  slavery.  Their  conduct  was  re- 
ferred to  the  basest  motives,  and  they  were  generally  stigmatized 
as  fools  or  knaves,  sometimes  as  both.  When  the  storm  was  at 
its  highest,  one  of  Mr.  Buxton's  friends  asked  him,  "  What  shall 
1  say  when  I  hear  people  abusing  you?"  "  Say  !"  he  replied, 
snapping  his  fingers,  "  say  that.  You  good  folk  think  too  much 
of  your  good  name.  Do  right,  and  right  will  be  done  you" 
Yet  he  was  not  indifferent  to  the  odium  which  he  incurred. 
Several  years  afterwards,  when  public  opinion  had  changed,  he 
expresses,  in  one  of  his  papers,  his  gratitude  to  God,  "  that  my 
privileges  and  enjoyments  in  life  have  not  been  destroyed  ;  that 
my  enemies  (enemies  of  mine,  because  I  am  the  friend  of  the 
enslaved)  have  not  triumphed  over  me  ;  that  I  cannot  now  say, 
as  David  did,  and  as  I  was  once  prone  to  repeat,  '  Reproach 
hath  broken  my  heart.' " 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON. 

"  Feb.  17. 

"  I  see  very  clearly  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  go  down  to  Cromer  ; 
my  absence  would  further  intimidate  our  few  friends,  who  are  sufficiently 
timid  as  it  is.  *  *  *  I  keep  up  my  spirits  pretty  well,  but  what  with 
the  mental  fatigue  I  have  undergone,  and  the  disappointment  we  have 
experienced,  I  cannot  feel  very  light-hearted." 

"  Feb.  1824. 

"  We  had  a  very  bustling  day  on  Saturday ;  a  meeting  with  Canning 
at  12  o'clock,  in  which  he  told  us,  that  Government  had  determined  to 
yield  to  the  West  Indian  clamour,  and  do  nothing,  except  in  Trinidad, 
where  there  is  no  Colonial  Assembly.  There  they  will  do  everything 
they  promised  last  year.  This  timidity  is  very  painful.  It  frustrates  all 
our  hopes,  and  it  will  enable  the  West  Indians  to  say  that  we  are  wild, 
enthusiastic  people,  and  that  the  people  of  England  ought  to  be  guided 
by  the  sober  discretion  of  Government — which  sober  discretion  is  down- 
right timidity." 

TO  JOSEPH  JOHN  GURNEY,  ESQ. 

"  Feb.  24. 

"  II sent  you,  I  believe,  my  plan.     It  has  undergone  material 

improvements;  when  first  promulgated,  it  met  with  no  support.     At 
the  first  meeting  at  the  Duke  of  Gloucester's  it  was  received  very  coldly  ; 


126  DIFFERENCES  OF  OPINION.  [CHAP.  ix. 

at  the  second  it  obtained  some  faint  praise ;  at  the  third,  an  unanimous 
vote,  supported  by  Lord  Lansdowne,  Brougham,  Mackintosh,  and 
twenty  others,  sends  it  to  Government,  with  the  sanction  of  the  meeting. 
I  have  been  reading  Smith's  trial.  If  ever  I  speak  on  that  subject,  as  I 
surely  will,  it  will  be  without  qualifying  circumstances.  He  is  as  inno- 
cent as  you  are." 

The  ministers  refused  to  adopt  Mr.  Buxton's  scheme ;  and  as 
the  16th  of  March  approached  (the  day  appointed  by  Mr.  Canning 
for  the  discussion  of  the  question),  the  Anti-slavery  party,  now 
reduced  to  a  very  small  number,  became  much  discouraged^and 
depressed.  The  Government  did  not  conceal  that  they  meant  to 
relinquish  the  policy  of  the  preceding  year  ;  and  it  seemed  pro- 
bable that,  having  thus  come  to  a  breach  with  the  Anti-slavery 
leaders,  these  latter  would  be  treated  as  scapegoats  on  whom 
public  indignation  might  be  poured.  Under  these  circumstances, 
a  difference  of  opinion  arose  in  the  Anti-slavery  councils  asjto 
the  course  to  be  pursued. 

Many  advised  that  the  anticipated  attack  from  Mr.  Canning 
should  be  received  in  silence,  and  that  the  Anti-slavery  party 
should  not  come  forward  to  state  their  own  case  till  some  days 
afterwards,  when  the  first  impression  made  by  his  eloquence 
should  have  died  away.  On  hearing  that  the  venerable  Mr. 
Stephen  concurred  in  this  advice,  Mr.  Buxton  exclaimed — 

"  'T  is  odds,  indeed,  when  valiant  Warwick  flies."  * 

To  the  course  recommended  he  himself  was  altogether  op- 
posed :  he  wished  to  make  a  stand  at  once,  and  indeed  to  act  on 
the  offensive,  by  exposing  the  vacillation  of  the  Government,  if 
it  should  prove  that  they  did  not  intend  to  fulfil  the  expectations 
held  out  in  the  preceding  year.  In  these  views  he  was  supported 
by  Dr.  Lushington,  Mr.  William  Smith,  Mr.  W.  Evans,  and 
Mr.  S.  Hoare. 

Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney  writes  to  him : — 

;"  Norwich,  3  mo.  lOtli,  1824. 

'•  My  dear  Brother, — I  feel  very  much  for  thee  and  for  our  cause 
in  the  prospect  of  the  approaching  discussion  in  Parliament,  and  I 

*  Shakespere. 


1824.]  POPULAR  CLAMOURS.  127 

foci  inclined  to  remind  thee  (however  needlessly)  of  the  apostle's  in- 
junction, '  Quit  you  like  men,  be  strong.'  *  *  *  I  look  upon  Colonial 
Slavery  as  a  monster  who  must  have  a  very  long  succession  of  hard 
knocks  before  he  will  expire.  Why  should  we  expect  to  get  his  ex- 
tinction into  full  train  in  less  than  ten  years?  And  why  should  we,be 
discouraged  overmuch,  if  the  first  knock  has  no  other  effect  than  to 
render  the  gentleman  more  lively  and  energetic  than  usual  ?  *  *  With 
regard  to  thyself,  as  I  am  fond  of  thy  popularity,  I  am  prone  to  dislike 
the  contrary.  But  I  have  a  strong  belief  that,  in  due  time,  thy  history 
will  afford  a  plain  exemplification  of  the  certainty  of  a  divine  promise, 
'  Them  that  honour  me,  I  will  honour  ! '  Till  then  be  content  to  suffer 
thy  portion  of  persecution,  and  let  no  frowns  of  adversaries,  no  want  of 
faith,  no  private  feeling  of  thine  own  incompetcncy,  cither  deprive  thee 
of  thy  spirits  or  spoil  thy  speech." 

Thus  encouraged,  Mr.  Buxton  resolved  to  persevere:  the 
other  leaders  gradually  fell  into  his  views,  and  the  plan  of  opera- 
tions was  arranged.  The  previous  division  of  opinion  had,  how- 
ever, been  a  source  of  great  anxiety  to  him  ;  and  he  was  almost 
worn  out  by  his  unremitting  exertions,  which  had  of  late  been 
chiefly  directed  to  the  procuring  digested  proofs  of  the  cruelty 
with  which  the  slaves  were  treated,  and  of  the  rapid  decrease  of 
the  black  population.  Pie  writes  on  the  12th  February,  1824 : — 
"  The  weight  of  business,  and,  worse  still,  of  thought,  which  over- 
hangs me  at  this  time,  is  greater  than  I  ever  experienced  before  ;" 
and  on  another  occasion, — "  I  am  fatigued,  I  am  distressed  with 
fatigue."  The  prospect  before  him  was  full  of  difficulties.  The 
small  Anti-slavery  party  were  attacked  on  all  sides  with  fury.  In 
the  House  there  were  hardly  more  than  half-a-dozen  stanch 
friends  to  the  cause,  while  two  hundred  members  were  considered 
to  be  more  or  less  directly  inimical  to  it ;  and  now,  if  the 
Government  were  to  be  swayed  by  the  tide  of  public  opinion,  and 
abandon  its  schemes  of  the  previous  year,  how  could  the  small 
unaided  band  of  Abolitionists  indulge  the  hope  of  even  ultimate 
success  in  their  undertaking  ? 

Their  fears  were  but  too  well  founded.  Mr.  Canning  care- 
fully withdrew  from  his  connection  with  those  whose  principles 
and  measures  he  had  the  year  before,  in  a  great  degree,  adopted 
as  his  own,  but  whom  he  now  discovered  to  be  acting  "  under 
the  impulses  of  enthusiasm  ;"  and  he  informed  the  House  that 
the  Government  was  determined  to  compel  the  ameliorations  in 


128  MR.  CANNING  GIVES  WAY.  [CHAP.  ix. 

Trinidad,  but  to  apply  for  the  present  no  measure  more  stringent 
than  "  admonition  "  to  the  contumacious  colonies.  One  specimen 
of  the  graceful  eloquence  by  which  his  speech  was  distinguished, 
we  cannot  refrain  from  inserting.  Having  shown  that  the  con- 
duct of  the  people  of  Jamaica  might  well  have  justified  severe 
coercive  measures,  he  adds,  "  Undoubtedly  it  would  be  easy  to 
select  passages  from  the  Jamaica  gazettes  which  might  put 
Parliament  in  a  towering  passion,  but  my  indignation  is  restrained 
by  consideration  of  the  powerlessness  of  the  body  from  which  the 
offence  comes,  compared  to  the  omnipotence  of  that  to  which  it  is 
offered.  The  consciousness  of  superior  strength  disarms  the 
spirit  of  resentment.  I  could  revenge,  but  I  would  much  rather 
reclaim.  I  prefer  that  moral  self-restraint,  so  beautifully  ex- 
pressed by  the  poet,  when  he  represents  Neptune  as  allaying  the 
wild  waters,  instead  of  rebuking  the  winds  which  had  put  them 
in  a  roar, — 

'  Quos  ego— sed  motos  praestat  componere  fluctus.'  " 

Mr.  Buxton  replied,  and  fearlessly  attacked  the  Government 
for  its  vacillating  conduct.  He  read  over  the  resolutions  of  the 
year  before,  which  he  justly  denominated  "  a  distinct  pledge 
given  by  Government,  that  the  condition  of  the  slave  population 
should  be  ameliorated."  Quoting  also  Mr.  Canning's  words, 
that  "  if  the  colonial  legislatures  would  not  consent  to  these 
ameliorations, — if  any  resistance  should  be  manifested  to  the  ex- 
pressed and  declared  wish  of  Parliament,  any  resistance  Avliich 
should  partake,  not  of  reason,  but  of  contumacy, — it  would 
create  a  case  upon  which  His  Majesty's  Government  would  not 
hesitate  to  come  down  to  Parliament  for  counsel." 

"  Now,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  "  if  this  full  and  comprehensive  pledge, 
this  engagement  given  as  to  all  the  colonies,  is  to  be  frittered  down,  at 
present  at  least,  to  a  single  island ;  if  the  advantages  promised  are  to  be 
granted  indeed  to  the  30,000  slaves  in  Trinidad,  but  withheld  from  the 
350,000  in  Jamaica,  and  the  70,000  in  Barbadoes  ;  if  the  '  earliest 
period'  is  to  be  construed  to  mean  some  time,  so  undefined  and  distant 
that  no  man  can  say  in  what  century  it  will  take  place;  if  our  pledge 
to  do  this  is  now  to  mean  no  more  than  that  we  will  suffer  it  to  be  done 
by  the  slow  and  gradual  course  of  admonition  and  example — then  I  see 
no  reason  why  ten  centuries  may  not  elapse  before  the  negroes  are  freed 


1824.]        MR.  BUXTON  ATTACKS  THE  GOVERNMENT.  129 

from  their  present  state  of  melancholy  and  deplorable  thraldom.  We 
who  have  cngagod  in  the  cause,  we,  at  least,  will  be  no  parties  to  such 
a  desertion  of  duty,  to  such  a  breach  of  faith. 

"  I  well  know,"  he  added,  "  the  difficult  situation  in  which  I  stand. 
No  man  is  more  aware  than  I  am  of  my  inability  to  follow  the  brilliant 
and  able  speech  which  has  just  been  delivered.  But  I  have  a  duty  to 
perform,  and  I  will  perform  it.  I  know  well  what  I  incur  by  this.  I 
know  how  1  call  clown  upon  myself  the  violent  animosity  of  an  ex- 
asperated and  most  powerful  party.  I  know  how  reproaches  have  rung 
in  my  ears  since  that  pledge  was  given,  and  how  they  will  ring  with 
tenfold  fury  now  that  I  call  for  its  fulfilment.  Let  them  ring !  I  will 
not  purchase  for  myself  a  base  indemnity  with  such  a  sting  as  this  on  my 
conscience :  '  You  ventured  to  agitate  the  question ;  a  pledge  was  ob- 
tained; you  were,  therefore,  to  be  considered  the  holder  of  that  pledge 
to  which  the  hopes  of  half  a  million  of  people  were  linked.  And  then, 
fearful  of  a  little  unpopularity,  and  confounded  by  the  dazzling  eloquence 
of  the  right  honourable  gentleman,  you  sat  still,  you  held  your  peace, 
and  were  satisfied  to  see  his  pledge,  in  favour  of  a  whole  archipelago, 
reduced  to  a  single  island.'  "  * 

He  concluded  his  speech,  in  which  he  laid  bare  a  series  of  acts 
of  atrocious  cruelty  in  the  treatment  of  the  negroes,  by  stating 
distinctly,  "  What  I  have  now  said  I  have  said  from  a  sense  of 
public  duty.  I  have  no  hostility  to  the  planters.  Compensation 
to  the  planter,  emancipation  to  the  children  of  the  negro — these 
are  my  desires,  this  is  the  consummation,  the  just  and  glorious 
consummation  on  which  my  hopes  are  planted,  and  to  which,  as 
long  as  I  live,  my  most  strenuous  efforts  shall  be  directed  !"  He 
was  well  supported  by  Dr.  Lushington,  Mr.  Evans,  and  Mr. 
Wilberforce.  The  latter,  who,  as  usual,  was  hopeful  amidst 
discouragements,  thus  addresses  him  on  the  day  after  the  de- 
bate : — 

"  "  Brompton  Grove,  March  17,  1824. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — It  was  quite  a  disappointment  to  me  not  to  see 
you  at  the  House  to-day.  There  are  points  on  which  I  shall  be  glad  to 
confer  with  you.  Meanwhile  I  am  strongly  urged  by  my  feelings  to 
express  to  you  the  solid  satisfaction  with  which  I  take  a  sober  estimate 
of  the  progress  which,  through  the  goodness  of  Providence,  we  have 
already  made,  and  the  good  hopes  which  we  may  justly  indulge  as  to 


*  Hansard's  Debates.     New  Series,  vol.  x.  p.  1115. 

K 


130  FORBEARANCE  OP  REVOLTED  NEGROES.    [CHAP.  ix. 

the  future.  To  find  the  two  Houses  of  Parliament,  each  full  of  mem- 
bers to  the  brim,  consulting  about  the  interests  and  comforts  of  those 
who,  not  long  ago,  were  scarcely  rated  above  the  level  of  ourang-outangs, 
is  almost  as  sure  an  indication  of  our  complete  success  ere  long,  as  tne 
streaks  of  morning  light  are  of  the  fulness  of  meridian  day.  •  I  hope  I 
may  live  to  congratulate  you,  even  in  this  world,  on  the  complete  success 
of  your  generous  labours ;  at  all  events,  I  trust  humbly,  that  we  may 
rejoice  and  triumph  together  in  a  better  world,  for  we,  my  dear  friend, 
may,  more  truly  than  the  great  historian,  affirm  that  we  are  working  for 
eternity.  And  our  KTT)/U«  ts  aei  will  be  enjoyed,  I  trust,  in  common 
with  many,  many  of  our  poor  black  brethren,  when  all  bondage  and  in- 
justice, all  sorrow  and  pain  having  ceased,  love  and  truth,  and  mercy  and 
peace  and  joy,  shall  be  our  everlasting  portion.  Oh,  my  friend,  let  us 
strive  more  and  more  earnestly  for  all  that  is  right  here,  looking  for- 
ward to  these  glorious  prospects ! " 

On  the  1st  of  June  a  motion  respecting  the  missionary  Smith 
was  brought  forward  by  Mr.  Brougham,  in  a  brilliant  speech  of 
four  hours'  length,  which  produced  a  strong  effect  upon  public 
feeling. 

One  remarkable  circumstance  by  which  the  Demerara  insur- 
rection was  distinguished,  namely,  the  extraordinary  forbearance 
of  the  rebel  negroes,  is  thus  mentioned  by  him  : — 

"  The  slaves,"  he  said, "  inflamed  by  false  hopes  of  freedom,  agitated  by 
rumours,  and  irritated  by  the  suspense  and  ignorance  in  which  they  were 
kept ;  exasperated  by  ancient  as  well  as  more  recent  wrongs  (for  a  sale 
of  fifty  or  sixty  of  them  had  just  been  announced,  and  they  were  about 
to  be  violently  separated  and  dispersed),  were  satisfied  with  combining 
not  to  work,  and  thus  making  their  managers  repair  to  the  town  and 
ascertain  the  precise  nature  of  the  boon  reported  to  have  arrived  from 
England.  The  calumniated  minister  had  so  far  humanised  his  poor 
flock,  his  dangerous  preaching  had  so  enlightened  them,  the  lessons  of 
himself  and  his  hated  brethren  had  sunk  so  deep  in  their  minds,  that 
by  the  testimony  of  the  clergymen,  and  even  of  the  overseers,  the 
maxims  of  the  Gospel  of  peace  were  upon  their  lips  in  the  midst  of  re- 
bellion, and  restrained  their  hands  when  no  other  force  was  present  to 
resist  them.  '  We  will  take  no  life,'  said  they,  '  for  our  pastors  have 
taught  us  not  to  take  that  which  we  cannot  give,'  a  memorable  pecu- 
liarity which  drew  from  the  truly  pious  minister*  of  the  Established 


*  The  clergyman  here  referred  to  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Austin,  whose  con- 
duct in  this  transaction  caused  his  exile  from  Deinerara,  and  drew  from  Sir 
James  Mackintosh  the  emphatic  declaration,  "  that  he  needed  nothing  but  a 


1825.]  MR.  WILBERFORCE  RETIRES.  131 

Church  there  the  exclamation,  '  that  he  shuddered  to  write  that  the 
planters  were  seeking  the  lii'e  of  the  man  whose  teaching  had  saved 
theirs.'  "* 

Sir  James  Mackintosh  followed,  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr. 
Lushington,  Mr.  Wilberforce,  Mr.  Williams,  and  Mr.  Denman. 
The  debate  was  closed  by  a  powerful  reply  from  Mr.  Brougham. 
This  discussion,  as  had  been  predicted,  changed  the  current  of 
public  opinion.  The  nation,  which  before  had  partaken  of  the 
consternation  of  the  Government,  began  to  awaken  to  the  truth, 
and  from  henceforth  the  religious  public  in  England  was  strongly 
enlisted  on  behalf  of  the  oppressed  missionaries  and  their  perse- 
cuted followers  ;  and  this  feeling  soon  increased  into  a  detestation 
of  that  system,  of  which  such  intolerance  was  the  natural  fruit. 
On  the  loth  of  June  the  subject  was  renewed  in  the  House  by 
Mr.  Wilberforce,  and  a  promise  was  wrested  from  the  Govern- 
ment of  extending  the  Order  in  Council  to  St.  Lucia  and  De- 
merara,  as  well  as  Trinidad. 

Mr.  Buxton  passed  the  autumn  at  Cromer  Hall,  recruitino- 
his  health,  and  at  the  same  time  strenuously  exerting  himself  in 
procuring  information  which  might  assist  the  future  conduct  of 
the  cause. 

In  the  beginning  of  1825  Mr.  Wilberforce  retired  from  Par- 
liament. In  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Buxton  on  the 
occasion,  he  says, — 

"  I  should  like  you  to  be  the  person  to  move  for  a  new  writ  for 
Bramber  as  my  PARLIAMENTARY  EXECUTOR.  I  can  now  only  say,  may 
God  bless  you  and  yours  ;  bless  you  in  public  and  private  as  a  senator, 
and  still  more  as  a  man.  So  wishes,  so  prays  for  you,  and  all  that  are 
most  dear  to  you, 

"  Your  ever  sincere  and  affectionate  friend, 

"  W.  WJLBEBFORCE."  - 
Mr.  Buxton  thus  mentions  this  event: — 

"  London,  Feb.  10,  1825. 

"  I  went,  on  the  night  of  my  arrival,  to  Wilberforce.  He  insists  on 
my  moving  the  writ  of  abdication.  I  feel  it  just  about  the  highest 


larger  and  more  elevated  theatre,  to  place  him  among  those  -who  •will  be, 
in  all  ages,  regarded  by  mankind  as  models  for  imitation,  and  objects  of 
reverence.'' 

*  Hansard's  Debates.    New  Series,  vol.  xi.  p.  994. 

K  2 


132  FEW  ABOLITIONISTS  IN  THE  HOUSE.       [CHAP.  ix. 

honour  I  could  have;  and  yet  it  gives  me  unaffected  pain,  from  a  con- 
sciousness of  my  inability  to  be  his  successor.  I  must,  however,  labour 
hard,  and  try  how  far  labour  will  supply  his  talents  and  reputation.  I 
now  begin  to  repent  that  I  shot  so  much  and  read  so  little  during  my 
long  holiday, — and  yet  I  did  work  pretty  hard. 

"  Well,  only  one  thing  is  absolutely  necessary  to  do  some  good,  and 
that  is  a  pure  and  fervent  determination  to  do  my  duty  in  private  and 
in  public. 

"  I  can  give  you  no  information  about  our  measures,  but  I  have  no 
other  notion  than  that  we  shall  eventually  succeed." 

T.  F.  BUXTOX,  ESQ.,  TO  A  FRIEM*. 

"  London,  Feb.  24,  1825. 

"  I  find  I  have  got  the  character  of  being  very  rash  and  impetuous. 
In  our  anti-slavery  proceedings  I  have  always  been  for  vigorous  measures. 
I  thought  our  cause  invincible  in  itself,  and  that  it  was  always  to  be 
treated  by  us  as  if  we  had  no  distrust  of  its  soundness ;  and,  therefore, 
the  maxim  I  quote  in  our  deliberations  is  that  of  the  navy  in  the  last  war, 
'  Always  fight.'  This  is  well  known  to  our  adversaries,  and  makes 
them  bitter  against  me  to  the  last  point.  I  can  well  bear  this." 

In  1822  Mr.  Wilberforce  had  mentioned  in  his  diary  that 
"  the  House  was  made  up  of  West  Indians,  Government  men,  a  few 
partisans,  and  a  few  sturdy  Abolitionists — William  Smith,  Bux- 
ton,  Butterworth,  Evans,  and  myself."  He,  the  great  champion 
of  the  oppressed,  had  now  retired,  and  during  the  three  inter- 
vening years  the  very  "  few  sturdy  Abolitionists  "  had  received 
but  small  accession  to  their  numbers,  though,  it  may  be  con- 
fessed, that  the  great  ability  and  hearty  zeal  of  Dr.  Lushington, 
the  varied  talents  of  Mr.  Brougham,  Sir  James  Mackintosh,  and 
Mr.  Denman,  in  great  measure  compensated  for  their  want  of 
numerical  strength. 

With  Dr.  Lushington  Mr.  Buxton  maintained,  from  the  be- 
ginning to  the  end  of  the  Anti-Slavery  struggle,  a  peculiarly 
close  connection.  "  He  has  ever  been,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  "  as 
disinterested,  as  honest,  as  generous  a  supporter  of  our  great 
cause  as  could  be;  and  in  private  life  a  most  kind  and  faithful 
friend,  with  no  other  fault  than  too  much  zeal  and  too  much 
liberality."  They  had  a  perfect  community  of  interest,  of  anxi- 
ety, and  of  council.  Indeed,  if  any  credit  whatever  is  due  to  Mr. 


1825.]  DR.  LUSIIINGTON— MR.  MACAULAY.  133 

I>uxtoii  for  Iiis  conduct  of  the  Anti-Slavery  campaign,  an  equal 
share  must  be  awarded  to  Dr.  Lushington  ;  for  every  idea,  and 
every  plan,  was  originated  and  arranged  between  them.  Impor- 
tant as  was  Dr.  Lushington's  parliamentary  assistance,  not  one 
tenth  part  of  his  exertions  for  the  cause  ever  met  the  public  eye. 
It  was  in  the  long  and  anxious  deliberations  in  which,  day  after 
day,  he  used  to  be  engaged  with  Mr.  Buxton,  that  the  cause 
reaped  the  chief  benefit  of  his  great  talents  and  far-sighted 
policy. 

Another  essential  member  of  the  Anti-Slavery  cabinet  was 
Mr.  Zachary  Macaulay.  The  parliamentary  leaders  derived  the 
utmost  assistance  from  his  matured  judgment,  and  from  those 
vast  stores  of  information  which  were  treasured  up  in  his  memory. 
He  also  was  the  editor  of  that  important  vehicle  of  information, 
the  "  And- Slavery  Reporter." 

There  are  many  who  still  remember  Mr.  Macaulay's  stooping 
figure,  his  entangled  utterance,  and  neglected  dress ;  but  within 
there  dwelt  the  spirit  of  a  hero  and  a  heart  glowing  with  love  to 
God  and  man.  From  the  moment  of  his  embracing  the  abolition 
cause  till  the  day  of  his  death,  he  flinched  neither  from  toil  nor 
privations,  neither  from  obloquy  nor  persecution,  but  sacrificed 
himself,  with  the  whole  of  his  personal  hopes,  to  advancing  the 
cause  of  humanity.  The  privacy  of  his  course  was  only  che- 
quered by  occasional  bursts  of  animosity,  from  those  who  felt 
their  defeat  to  be  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  his  silent  but 
steady  exertions.  To  labour  and  suffer  without  prospect  of  gain 
or  applause,  in  the  simple  hope  of  alleviating  the  miseries  of 
others,  was  the  lot  in  life  that  he  cheerfully  fulfilled.  There 
may  be  a  more  graceful  and  more  attractive  career — can  there  be 
one  of  more  solemn  grandeur?  Still,  however,  we  may  hope 
that  posterity  will  grant  him  that  just  meed  of  honour,  which, 
during  his  life,  was  denied  him. 

During  the  first  four  years  of  the  Anti-Slavery  struggle,  the 
leaders  were  chiefly  employed  in  clearing  the  ground  for  future 
operations.  Emancipation  seemed  far  distant.  They  were  there- 
fore more  occupied  in  investigating  and  bringing  to  light  the 
evils  of  the  present  state  of  things,  than  in  framing  plans  for  that 
which  they  trusted  would  eventually  succeed  it. 

In  this  endeavour  great  assistance  was  derived  from  the  publi- 


134  MR.  STEPHEN.  [CHAP.  ix. 

cation,  in  1824,  of  the  first  part  of  Mr.  James  Stephen's  '  Deli- 
neation of  Slavery,'  described  in  one  of  Mr.  Macaulay's  letters 
as  "  Stephen's  mighty  book  which  marks  the  hand  of  a  giant." 
Mr.  Stephen  had  been,  as  is  well  known,  one  of  the  leading  oppo- 
nents of  the  slave-trade,  and  his  success  in  enforcing  the  registra- 
tion of  slaves  was  of  great  importance,  both  in  that  struggle  and 
in  the  one  which  succeeded  it.  His  endeavour  now  was  to  open 
the  eyes  of  Parliament  and  the  public  to  the  real  character  of  the 
system. 

Early  in  1825  Dr.  Lushington  exposed  the  unworthy  treatment 
of  the  free  people  of  colour  in  the  "West  Indies,  selecting,  as  a 
prominent  instance,  the  cruel  usage  of  Messrs.  Lecesne  and 
EscorFery. 

In  June  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Buxton  brought  before  the 
House  the  case  of  Mr.  Shrewsbury.  This  gentleman  was  a  "Wes- 
leyan  missionary  in  Barbadoes,  "  in  whose  conduct,"  as  Mr. 
Canning  expressly  stated  in  the  House,  "  there  did  not  appear 
the  slightest  ground  of  blame  or  suspicion."  But  the  planters 
were  exasperated  against  him  for  his  exertions  in  the  instruction 
of  the  Negroes  and  free  people  of  colour;  and  it  was  also 
charged  against  him,  that  he  had  actually  corresponded  with  Mr. 
Buxton  !  "  Though,"  said  the  latter  in  the  House,  "  I  never 
received  from  or  wrote  to  him  a  single  letter ;  nor  did  I  know 
that  such  a  man  existed  till  I  happened  to  take  up  a  newspaper, 
and  there  read,  with  some  astonishment,  that  he  was  going  to  be 
hanged  for  corresponding  with  me !" 

On  two  successive  Sundays  in  October,  1823,  the  doors  of  Mr. 
Shrewsbury's  chapel  were  stormed  during  the  hours  of  divine 
worship  by  a  furious  mob,  who  did  not,  however,  at  that  time 
proceed  to  actual  outrage ;  but  a  day  or  two  afterwards  a  "  Pro- 
clamation" was  published,  calling  on  all  the  "true  lovers  of  re- 
ligion "  to  assemble  in  arms  on  the  following  Sunday,  and  pull 
down  the  chapel  and  mission-house.  This  they  accordingly  did  ; 
but  Mr.  Shrewsbury  had  concealed  himself  in  the  house  of  a  clergy- 
man, "  whose  kindness,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  "  then  displayed  to 
a  poor  friendless  missionary,  hunted  for  his  life  by  an  infuriated 
mob,  I  will  now  return — by  concealing  his  name,  knowing  that  if 
I  were  to  mention  it  with  approbation,  the  fate  of  Mr.  Austin,  of 
Demerara,  would  await  him." 


1825.]  DEBATE  ON  MK.  SHREWSBURY'S  CASE.  135 

"  There  is,"  he  continued,  "  in  this  transaction  at  Barbadoes,  as 
there  was  also  in  that  of  Demerara,  that  which  of  all  things  I  hate  the 
most — a  rank,  fierce,  furious  spirit  of  religious  bigotry,  dominant  through- 
out the  island,  and  pursuing  its  victims,  the  one  to  death  and  the  other 
to  exile.  But  there  is  that  also  which  does  honour  to  human  nature,  and 
casts  a  glory  round  the  church  to  which  I  belong,  and  which  I  prefer  to 
all  others — namely,  that  these  poor  victims,  Dissenters,  Missionaries, 
Methodists,  though  they  were,  found  their  best  friends  and  their  most 
faithful  advisers  in  the  ranks  of  our  clergy.  Mr.  Austin,  for  one  of  the 
most  noble  acts  which  have  been  done  in  our  days,  is  a  ruined  and  ba- 
nished man  ;  and  I  conceal  the  name  of  the  other,  in  order  to  spare  him — 
the  honours,  indeed,  but — the  sufferings  of  martyrdom."* 

He  concluded,  not  by  demanding  any  punishment  on  the  guilty 
parties,  but  simply  by  moving  that  they  should  be  compelled  to 
rebuild  the  chapel.  The  House,  however,  would  only  join  him 
in  a  vote  of  censure  upon  those  concerned  in  the  crime. 

In  his  reply  at  the  end  of  the  debate,  he  said — 

"  I  wish  it  to  be  distinctly  understood  that  it  is  my  firm  and  unalter- 
able resolution  to  devote  all  my  life  and  my  efforts  to  advocating  the 
cause  of  the  slaves ;  and  that  I  will  persist  in  that  course,  in  spite  of  op- 
position, unpopularity,  obloquy,  or  falsehood." 

TO  A  FRIEJTD. 

"  June  24,  1825. 

"  I  have  now  to  tell  you  the  events  of  yesterday.  At  first  the  usual 
fate  of  West  India  questions  attended  me — a  great  indisposition  to  hear 
anything ;  but  I  gradually  won  their  attention,  and  gave  my  narrative 
fully.  No  very  lively  interest  betrayed  itself,  but  they  listened  like 
persons  who  wished  to  learn.  *  *  *  I  am  prepared  for  a  poor  re- 
port in  the  newspapers,  for  even  the  reporters  sympathise  with  the 
House  in  detestation  of  slavery  questions;  and  though  Lushington  made 
a  most  capital  speech  last  week  on  the  Jamaica  business,  it  was  only  re- 
ported in  a  very  superficial  manner." 

In  the  recess  of  this  year  we  find  him  attending  anti-slavery 
meetings  at  Norwich  and  elsewhere ;  and  employed  in  arranging 
and  settling  the  division  of  labour  with  his  coadjutors. 

He  tells  Mr.  Brougham : — 

"  Cromer  Hall,  Sept.  8. 

"  Lushington,   Macaulay,  and  I,  have  now  for  several  days  met 

*  Hansard.    New  Series,  vol.  xiii.  p.  1285. 


136  PLAN  OF  CAMPAIGN.  [CHAP.  ix. 

directly  after  breakfast,  and  employed  ourselves  in  discussing  various 
questions  relative  to  slavery.     I  now  send  you  the  results." 

After  detailing  the  projects  for  the  ensuing  session,  he  adds — 
"  Macaulay  leaves  me  to-morrow  ;  Lushington  stays  for  several  weeks ; 
he  and  I  mean  to  continue  our  morning  meetings." 

SIR  JAMES  MACKINTOSH  TO  T.  FOWELL  BUXTON',  ESQ. 

"  Harrowgate,  Sept.  25,  1825. 

"  Dear  Buxton, — I  received  your  plan  of  campaign,  but,  as  I  am  going 
to  Brougham's  house  in  Westmoreland,  I  reserve  my  observations  on  it 
till  I  have  a  conference  with  him.  My  health  is  now  so  much  better  than 
ever  I  expected  it  would  be,  that  I  can  with  more  than  usual  confidence 
undertake  to  perform  any  task  allotted  me  to  the  best  of  my  abilities. 
.  The  two  great  measures  are,  the  Bill  to  enforce  and  generalise 
the  Order  in  Council,  and  the  particular  plan  of  Emancipation.  I  almost 
think  that  both  are  too  much  for  one  session.  ...  I  hope  to  be 
in  London  in  four  weeks,  where  I  shall  wish  to  hear  from  you. 

"  Ever  yours  faithfully, 

"  J.  MACKINTOSH." 

In  the  beginning  of  the  session  of  1826,  Mr.  Buxton  men- 
tions that  two  meetings  about  slavery  had  been  already  held  ; 
and  he  adds — 

"  We  are  determined  to  bring  forward,  without  delay,  two  or  three 
enormities  as  a  prelude  to  the  Bill  for  coercing  the  Colonial  Assemblies. 
The  Berbice  Papers*  and  the  insurrection  in  Jamaica  have  been  selected." 

"  February  23. 

"  I  saw  Canning  yesterday :  he  was  very  friendly ;  intimated  that  the 
Government  meant  to  do  something ;  but  as  he  had  refused  to  tell  the 
West  Indians  what  that  something  was,  he  also  refused  to  tell  us.  On 
Tuesday  next  I  bring  forward  the  London  Petition,  and  we  shall  have  a 
warm  discussion.  On  Thursday  we  have  Denman's  motion  on  the 
Jamaica  Trials — another  fierce  discussion  ;  and  these  will  probably  be 
followed  by  a  host  of  other  questions." 

Mr.  Buxton  presented  the  London  petition  against  slavery  on 

*  The  Berbice  Papers  were  the  official  statement  by  the  Fiscal  of  the 
complaints  made  to  him  by  the  Negroes  against  their  masters,  and  his  judg- 
ments thereon.  The  cruelties  thus  brought  to  light  were  of  the  most  re- 
volting character.  Abundant  extracts  from  those  papers  will  be  found  in 
the  Anti-Slavery  Reporterjbr  October  31,  1825,  vol.  i. 


1826.]  THE  JAMAICA  INSURRECTION.  137 

the  1st  of  March:  it  was  signed  by  72,000  persons.  In  his 
speech  he  praised  the  order  in  council  enforced  in  Trinidad,  and 
again  pointed  out  how  ineffectual  had  been  the  recommendations 
of  the  Government  to  the  legislatures  of  the  other  islands.  "  I 
am  anxious,"  he  declared,  "  to  say  nothing  that  can  give  offence 
to  any  party  ;  but  it  is  my  duty  broadly  to  declare  my  con- 
firmed and  deliberate  conviction,  that  this  House  must  do  the 
work  themselves,  or  suffer  it  to  be  altogether  abandoned."* 
He  thus  states  the  result  of  this  debate :  — 

"  March  2. 

"  Last  night  we  had  our  debate.  Canning  was  not  satisfactory  :  he 
preferred  to  give  the  West  Indians  another  year,  and  then  to  legislate. 
We  are  going  to  have  another  debate  to-night.  I  am  as  tired  as  a 
person  well  can  be." 

The  next  evening  came  on  Mr.  Denman's  motion.  He  took 
the  case  of  eight  of  the  negroes  executed  after  the  Jamaica  in- 
surrection of  1823  ;  and  demanded  a  vote  of  censure  on  those 
concerned  in  condemning  them.  How  forced  and  illegal  some 
of  the  proceedings  had  been,  will  be  seen  from  the  following 
brief  extract  from  Mr.  Buxton's  speech  : — 

"  Next  came  the  evidence  of  the  constable.  He  was  asked,  whether 
he  had  not  found  guns  amongst  the  insurgents  ?  His  answer  was,  that 
he  had  not ;  but  he  was  shoivn  a  place  where  he  was  told  guns  had  been. 
Then  he  was  asked,  if  he  had  not  found  large  quantities  of  ammunition  ? 
And  he  answered  that  he  had  not.  Had  he  not  found  a  number  of 
bayonets  ?  '  No,'  said  the  constable,  '  but  I  was  shown  a  basket,  in 
which  I  was  told  a  great  number  of  bayonets  had  been  .r  Such  was  the 
evidence  on  which  these  men  were  hanged." 

The  House  resolved,  that  it  would  be  inexpedient  to  impeach 
the  sentences  which  had  been  passed  ;  but  "  that  further  proof 
had  been  afforded  by  them  of  the  evils  inseparably  attendant 
upon  a  state  of  slavery." 

After  the  close  of  this  session,  there  was  a  pause  in  the 
operations  of  the  Abolitionists.  As  Mr.  Canning  had  positiyely 
declared  that  the  Government  would  give  the  colonial  legisla- 
ture another  year's  trial,  before  it  would  take  the  task  of  ameli- 
oration into  its  own  hands,  nothing  remained  for  the  Anti-slavery 
party  but  to  await  the  expiration  of  that  period. 

*  Hansard's  Debates.    New  Series,  vol.  xiv.  p.  968. 


138  CROMER  HALL— SHOOTING.  [CHAP.  x. 


CHAPTER  X. 

1822—1826. 

Croraer  Hall  —  Shooting  —  A  courteous  poacher  —  The  sporting  Pro- 
fessor —  Mr.  Buxton's  delight  in  Horses  —  His  Influence  over  the  Young 
—  Maxims  —  Letter  to  a  Nephew  —  His  Love  of  a  Manly  Character  — 
His  Gentleness  —  Shipwreck  at  Cromer  —  Perilous  Exploit  —  His  Reli- 
gious Influence  —  Kindness  to  the  Poor  —  Letter  on  Style  —  Corre- 
spondence —  Martin's  Act  —  Correspondence  —  Letter  to  a  Clergyman  on 
his  new  House. 

FOR  the  last  few  years  Mr.  Buxton  had  generally  resided  \vith 
his  family  in  the  spring  and  summer,  near  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, spending,  however,  much  of  his  time  at  Ham  House, 
Mr.  S.  Gurney's  seat  in  Essex,  and  with  Mr.  S.  Hoare,  at 
Hampstead.  Amid  the  turmoil  of  his  parliamentary  life,  these 
country  visits  were  of  great  advantage  to  him  ;  as  affording  him 
quiet  hours  for  study,  and  the  opportunity  of  taking  those 
solitary  rambles  which  were  the  times  of  his  deepest  reflection. 

In  1825  he  took  a  house  in  Devonshire  Street,  Portland 
Place ;  but  as  long  as  he  remained  in  Parliament,  a  day  of 
leisure  generally  found  him  and  Mrs.  Buxton  either  at  Hamp- 
stead or  at  Ham  House.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  Hoare,  also,  regu- 
larly passed  the  months  of  September  and  October  at  Cromer, 
and  for  the  first  year  or  two  Cromer  Hall  was  held  in  common 
by  the  two  families. 

After  the  busy  summer  in  London,  Mr.  Buxton  highly  re- 
lished the  retirement  and  recreation  which  this  place  afforded. 
He  never  lost  his  taste  for  shooting,  and  had  the  reputation  of 
being  a  first-rate  shot. 

Great  pains  were  taken  by  him  in  the  management  of  his 
game,  especially  in  rearing  his  pheasants,  which  used  to  feed  in 
very  large  numbers  on  the  lawn,  immediately  under  the  drawing- 
room  windows ;  yet  he  was  scarcely  ever  annoyed  by  poachers. 
On  one  occasion,  however,  while  riding  along  the  road,  he  .saw  a 
young  man,  in  an  adjoining  field,  fire  at  a  partridge  and  kill  it. 


6.]  A  COURTEOUS  POACHER.  139 

He  opened  the  gate,  and  riding  up  to  the  youth,  who  seemed 
not  a  little  startled  at  the  apparition,  said  to  him  in  a  somewhat 
abrupt  tone,  "Now,  sir,  allow  me  to  ask  you  three  questions: 
First,  what  is  your  name  and  residence;  secondly,  where  is 
your  licence ;  and,  thirdly,  who  gave  you  leave  to  'shoot  over 
my  ground  ?"  The  young  man  made  a  low  bow,  and  answered 

in  the  blandest  manner :  "  My  name,  sir,  is .  As  to 

your  two  other  questions,  with  your  leave,  I  '11  waive  them. 
Sir,  I  wish  you  a  very  good  morning ;"  and  so  saying,  to  Mr. 
Buxton's  no  small  amusement,  he  slipped  out  of  the  field. 

Once,  when  he  was  staying  with  Mr.  Coke  at  Holkham,  a 
well-known  Professor  was  also  one  of  the  visitors.  The 
venerable  historian  had  never  had  a  gun  in  his  hand,  but  on  this 
occasion  Mr.  Coke  persuaded  him  to  accompany  the  shooting- 
party  ;  care,  however,  was  taken  to  place  him  at  a  corner  of  the 
covert,  where  it  was  thought  the  other  sportsmen  would  be  out 
of  his  reach.  When  the  rest  of  the  party  came  up  to  the  spot 
where  he  was  standing,  Mr.  Coke  said  to  him,  ""Well,  what 
sport?  You  have  been  firing  pretty  often !"  "Hush!"  said 
the  Professor,  "  there  it  goes  again  ;"  and  he  was  just  raising 
his  gun  to  his  shoulder,  when  a  man  walked  very  quietly  from 
the  bushes  about  seventy  yards  in  front  of  him.  It  was  one  of 
the  beaters  who  had  been  set  to  stop  the  pheasants,  and  his 
leather  gaiters,  dimly  seen  through  the  bushes,  had  been  mis- 
taken for  a  hare  by  the  Professor,  who,  much  surprised  by  its 
tenacity  of  life,  had  been  firing  at  it  whenever  he  saw  it  move. 
"  But,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  "  the  man  had  never  discovered  that 
the  Professor  was  shooting  at  him  !" 

No  Arab  ever  took  a  greater  delight  in  horses  than  Mr. 
Buxton ;  and  several  of  his  favourites,  especially  John  Bull, 
Abraham,  and  Jeremie,  were  renowned  for  their  strength  and 
beauty.  He  was  considered  a  very  good  judge,  and  never 
hesitated  to  give  any  price,  in  order  to  render  his  stud  more 
complete.  Of  dogs,  too,  he  was  very  fond ;  one  of  his  pets 
came  into  his  possession  in  a  singular  manner.  He  was  standing 
at  the  door  of  the  House  of  Commons  talking  to  a  friend,  when 
a  beautiful  black  and  tan  terrier  rushed  between  them,  and 
immediately  began  barking  furioiisly  at  Mr.  Joseph  Pease,  who 
was  speaking.  All  the  members^  jumped  up,  shouting  and 


140  CROMER  HALL— COUNTRY  AMUSEMENTS.    [CHAP.  x. 

laughing,  while  the  officers  of  the  House  chased  the  dog  round 
and  round,  till  at  last  he  took  refuge  with  Mr.  Buxton ;  who, 
as  he  could  find  no  traces  of  an  owner,  carried  him  home.  He 
proved  to  be  quite  an  original.  One  of  his  whims  was,  that  he 
would  never  go  into  the  kitchen,  nor  yet  into  a  poor  man's 
cottage ;  but  he  formed  a  habit  of  visiting  by  himself  at  the 
country-houses  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Cromer,  and  his  refined 
manners  and  intelligence  made  '  Speaker '  a  welcome  guest, 
wherever  he  pleased  to  go. 

Once  at  rest  in  the  retirement  of  Cromer  Hall,  Mr.  Buxton 
began  to  lose  the  grave  and  care-worn  expression  which  usually 
marked  his  countenance  while  under  the  heavy  pressure  of  busi- 
ness in  town ;  not  that  the  autumn  was  wholly  spent  in  recrea- 
tion, on  the  contrary,  his  studies,  chiefly  bearing  on  public 
objects,  were  steadily  pursued.  He  generally  passed  the  latter 
part  of  his  evenings  alone  in  his  study,  frequently  remaining 
there  to  a  very  late  hour. 

Cromer  Hall  was  often  filled  with  an  easy  social  party,  but  he 
had  no  wish  to  extend  his  circle  much  beyond  his  own  relatives, 
a  select  few  of  his  parliamentary  friends,  and  the  families  in  the 
immediate  neighbourhood.  He  had  no  taste  for  society  of  a 
more  formal,  and,  as  he  thought,  insipid  character,  nor  did  he 
find  much  pleasure  in  conversation,  though  at  table  he  would 
usually  enliven  the  party  by  his  playfulness  of  manner,  and  by 
his  store  of  anecdotes,  which  he  could  tell  with  much  force  and 
spirit.  He  took  great  pains  in  providing  amusements  for  the 
younger  members  of  the  circle.  There  is  much  picturesque 
scenery  around  Cromer,  and  large  parties  were  often  collected 
for  excursions,  to  Sheringham,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spots 
in  all  the  eastern  counties,  to  the  wooded  dells  of  Felbrigg  and 
Runton,  or  to  the  rough  heath-ground  by  the  Black  Beacon. 
At  home,  also,  he  was  energetic  in  setting  on  foot  amusements 
for  Ids  young  friends,  such  as  acting  charades,  Christmas  games, 
or  amusing  reading.  At  one  time  a  family  newspaper  was 
started,  which  appeared  once  a  week ;  and  great  was  the  interest 
excited  in  reading  the  various  contributions,  grave  and  gay, 
which  every  one  sent  in.  Sometimes  he  would  give  a  list  of 
poets,  from  whose  works  the  juvenile  part  of  the  circle  were 
invited  to  learn  by  heart ;  and  examinations  were  held,  with 


1822-26.]  MAXIMS  FOR  THE  YOUNG.  141 

valuable  books  as  prizes.  Other  schemes  of  the  same  kind  were 
frequently  set  on  foot,  all  intended  to  draw  out  the  mind,  and 
spur  it  to  exertion.  His  thoughtfulness  for  others,  combined 
with  an  unswerving  strictness,  gave  him  a  remarkable  influence 
over  those  around  him  ;  it  has  been  thus  referred  to  by  one  who 
was  a  frequent  guest  at  Cromer  Hall. 

"  I  wish  I  could  describe  tKe  impression  made  upon  me  by  the 
extraordinary  power  of  interesting  and  stimulating  others,  which 
was  possessed  by  Sir  Fowell  Buxton  some  thirty  years  ago.  In 
my  own  case  it  was  like  having  powers  of  thinking,  powers  of 
feeling,  and,  above  all,  the  love  of  true  poetry,  suddenly  aroused 
within  me,  which,  though  I  may  have  possessed  them  before, 
had  been  till  then  unused.  From  Locke  on  the  Human  Under- 
standing to  '  William  of  Deloraine  good  at  need,'  he  woke  up  in 
me  the  sleeping  principle  of  taste ;  and  in  giving  me  such  objects 
of  pursuit,  has  added  immeasurably  to  the  happiness  of  my  life." 

He  more  than  once  recommended  Locke  on  the  Understanding 
to  the  perusal  of  young  people,  as  a  useful  work  in  establishing 
the  habit  of  receiving  truth  with  impartiality.  "  That,"  he 
said,  "  is  one  of  the  most  important  things  to  impress  on  the 
minds  of  children,  habitually  to  seek  for  the  truth,  whether  for 
or  against  our  previous  opinions  and  interests."  He  certainly 
illustrated  his  own  maxim,  for  he  was  from  his  youth  up  remark- 
ably free  from  prejudices,  and  ready  to  give  ear  to  whatever 
could  be  adduced  against  his  own  views. 

He  seems  to  have  had  some  idea  of  publishing  a  little  work,  to 
be  called  'Maxims  for  the  Young.'  The  following  extracts 
from  the  rough  memoranda  for  this  work  throw  light,  not  only 
upon  his  views  as  to  education,  but  also  on  his  own  charac- 
ter : — 

HINTS  FOB  MAXIMS  TOR  THE  TOUXG. 

"Mankind  in  general  mistake  difficulties  for  impossibilities.  That  is 
the  difference  between  those  who  effect,  and  those  who  do  not. 

"  People  of  weak  judgment  are  the  most  timid,  as  horses  half  blind 
are  most  apt  to  start. 

"  Burke  in  a  letter  to  Miss  Shackleton  says  : — 

"  l  Thus  much  in  favour  of  activity  and  occupation,  that  the  more 
one  has  to  do,  the  more  one  is  capable  of  doing,  even  beyond  our 
direct  task.' 

"  Pluto,  '  better  to  err  in  acts,  than  principles.' 


142  MAXIMS  FOR  THE  YOUNG.  [CHAP.  x. 

"  Idleness  the  greatest  prodigality. 

"  Two  kinds  of  idleness, — a  listless,  and  an  active. 

"  If  industrious,  we  should  direct  our  efforts  to  right  ends. 

"  Possibly  it  may  require  as  much  (industry)  to  be  best  billiard- 
player  as  to  be  senior  wrangler. 

"The  endowments  of  nature  we  cannot  command,  but  we  can 
cultivate  those  given. 

"  My  experience,  that  men  of  great  talents  are  apt  to  do  nothing  for 
want  of  vigour. 

"  Vigour,— energy, — resolution, — firmness  of  purpose, — these  carry 
the  day. 

"  Is  there  one  whom  difficulties  dishearten, — who  bends  to  the  storm  ? 
— He  will  do  little.  Is  there  one  who^w;///  conquer? — That  kind  of 
man  never  fails. 

"  Let  it  be  your  first  study  to  teach  the  world  that  you  are  not  wood 
and  straw — some  iron  in  you. 

"  Let  men  know  that  what  you  say  you  will  do;  that  your  decision 
made  is  final, — no  wavering ;  that,  once  resolved,  you  are  not  to  be 
allured  or  intimidated. 

"  Acquire  and  maintain  that  character." 

***** 

"  Eloquence — the  most  useful  talent ;  one  to  be  acquired,  or  im- 
proved ;  all  the  great  speakers  bad  at  first. — Huskisson. — How  to  be 
acquired. 

"  Write  your  speeches, — no  inspiration. 

"  Labour  to  put  your  thoughts  in  the  clearest  view. 

"  A  bold,  decided  outline.  i 

"  Read  '  multum,  non  multa, — homo  unius  libri.' 

"  Learn  by  heart  everything  that  strikes  you.— Fox. 

"  Thus  ends  my  lecture  ;  nineteen  out  of  twenty  become  good  or  bad 
as  they  choose  to  make  themselves. 

"  The  most  important  part  of  your  education  is  that  which  you  now 
give  yourselves." 

The  same  value  for  strength  of  character  is  displayed  in  the 
following'  mention  in  his  papers  of  a  young  member  of  his  circle 
about  to  enter  on  life. 

"  He  is  now  at  a  very  critical  period  of  life.  In  a  few  months  ho 
will  leave  home,  and  his  fate  and  fortunes  will  mainly  dope-mi  on  the 
degree  of  vigour  of  character  which  he  will  then  display.  Doliver 
him,  O  Lord,  from  fading  resolutions,  from  feeble  and  unstable  pur- 
poses, from  an  idle  wavering  mind,  and  from  habits  of  self-indulgence. 
Give  him  firmness  of  purpose,  enable  him  to  take  hold  on  his  object 


1827.]  HIS  LOVE  OF  A  MANLY  CHARACTER.  143 

with  a  vigorous  and  manly  grasp.  Give  him  industry  and  perseverance; 
a  clear  judgment  to  resolve,  and,  once  resolved,  an  inflexible  deter- 
mination. But  let  this  strength  of  character  be  based  on  better  than 
human  foundations  f  let  it  be  given  by  thee ;  limited,  corrected,  kept 
within  bounds  by  thee.  Oh,  that  he  may  be  able  in  after  life  to 
ascribe  his  success  to  the  Lord,  and  to  say,  with  David,  '  It  is  God 
that  girdeth  me  with  strength,  and  maketh  my  way  perfect.'  " 

He  writes  to  his  nephew,  Mr.  Hoare's  eldest  son,  who  had 
been  disappointed  in  the  scholarship  examination  at  Trinity:  — 

"Hampstead,  April  27,  1827. 

"  I  need  not,  I  suppose,  say  that  I  have  my  full  share  of  this  dis- 
appointment ;  but  that  is  not  the  subject  on  which  I  am  going  to  write. 
All  my  advice  is  crowded  into  this  single  sentence,  '  Tu  ne  cede  malis, 
sed  contra  audentior  ito.' 

"  This  mortification  is  a  test  which  will  try  your  character.  If  that 
character  be  feeble,  the  disappointment  will  weigh  upon  your  spirits ; 
you  will  relax  your  exertions,  and  begin  to  despond,  and  to  be  idle. 
Tliat  is  the  general  character  of  men  :  they  can  do  very  well  when  the 
breeze  is  in  their  favour,  but  they  are  cowed  by  the  storm.  If  your 
character  is  vigorous  and  masculine,  you  will  gather  strength  from  this 
defeat,  and  encouragement  from  this  disappointment.  If  Fortune  will 
not  give  you  her  favours,  you  will  tear  them  from  her  by  force  ;  and  if 
you  were  my  own  son,  as  you  very  nearly  are,  I  would  rather  you 
should  have  failed,  and  then  exhibited  this  determination,  than  that 
everything  should  have  gone  smoothly.  I  like  your  letter  much  ;  it 
breathes  a  portion  of  this  unconquerable  spirit,  which  is  worth  all  the 
Latin,  Greek,  and  Logarithms  in  the  world,  and  all  the  prizes  which 
ever  were  given.  Now,  then,  is  the  time ;  be  a  man  and  avenge  your- 
self at  the  next  examination.  If  you  are  sick  at  heart,  and  can't  sleep, 
and  laugh,  and  defy  malicious  fortune,  then  you  may  make  a  very 
decent  banker,  but  there  is  an  end  of  you.  If  you  can  summon  up 
courage  for  the  occasion,  and  pluck  from  this  failure  the  materials  for 
future  success,  then  the  loss  of  the  scholarship  may  be  a  gain  for  life."  * 

He  could  not  bear  the  stream  of  life  to  run  shallow :  he  liked 
its  tide  to  be  full  and  strong,  longing  to  make  others  share  in 
his  own  impetus  and  force  of  character.  This  delight  in  man- 
liness of  mind  led  him  to  set  his  face  firmly  against  all  listless- 

""  *  This  advice  -was  not  neglected  by  his  nephew.  He  gained  his  scho- 
larship the  next  time ;  was  a  high  wrangler,  and  in  the  first  class  of  the 
Tripos. 


144  SHIPWRECK  AT  CROMER.  [CHAP.  x. 

ness  in  amusement  as  well  as  in  study.  He  was  much  averse  to 
confining  boys  too  closely  to  the  schoolroom,  and  was  always 
ready  to  propose  holidays ;  but  then  he  took  care  to  provide 
shooting,  cricketing,  or  some  other  active  diversion  for  them. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  very  strict  in  enforcing  his  orders. 
The  tendency  of  his  mind  was  to  assume  command  in  a  decisive 
and  even  somewhat  stern  manner;  but  this  was  corrected  by  the 
extreme  tenderness  of  his  heart,  which  led  him  in  all  things  to 
weigh  carefully  the  feelings  and  pleasures  of  those  under  his 
authority.  "  I  know,"  he  says  in  a  letter  from  Cromer  Hall, 
"  that  I  am  often  harsh,  and  violent,  and  very  disagreeable,  but 
I  sincerely  think  that  I  do  not  know  a  person  less  inclined  than 
I  am  to  curb  the  deep  desires  of  others,  or  to  force  my  views 
down  their  throats.  I  believe  I  am  a  true  friend  to  liberty  of 
feeling,  and  I  think  it  high  arrogance  in  one  human  being  to 
pretend  to  dictate  to  another  what  is  for  that  other's  happiness." 
His  forbearance  was  continually  shown  in  the  turmoil  of  public 
life.  In  transacting  business,  on  committees,  and  in  the  conduct 
of  difficult  affairs  with  those  of  widely  diverging  opinions,  his 
subjugation  of  temper  and  his  gentle  persuasive  manner  were 
remarkable.  One  of  his  most  faithful  supporters  at  "Wey mouth 
thus  writes  of  him  : — - 

"  It  must  be  well  known  to  every  one  conversant  with  contested 
elections,  that  nothing  can  try  the  temper  more,  from  the  unwarrantable 
liberty  of  the  press  and  the  unfair  means,  both  in  word  and  deed,  used 
on  such  occasions  ;  yet  though  I  have  followed  the  late  Sir  Fowell 
through  all  his  hard,  long,  and  severe  contests  in  this  borough,  I  never 
knew  him  once  lose  his  temper,  once  give  a  harsh  reply,  or  use  an 
unkind  word  to  any  one ;  nothing  ever  disturbed  the  '  even  tenor  of 
his  way.'  " 

Before  the  establishment  of  the  floating  light  off  Happisburgh, 
wrecks  were  very  frequent  on  the  Cromer  coast.  On  any 
rumour  of  a  vessel  in  danger,  Mr.  Buxton  and  Mr.  Hoare  used 
to  be  among  the  first  on  the  shore,  not  merely  to  urge  and 
direct  the  efforts  of  others,  but  to  give  their  personal  aid.  On 
one  of  these  occasions  Mr.  Buxton  himself  ran  considerable  risk 
in  the  terrible  storm  of  the  31st  of  October,  1823,  which  Mas 
long  remembered  on  the  Norfolk  coast.  About  twelve  o'clock 
a  collier  brig,  "  The  Duchess  of  Cumberland,"  ran  upon  the 


1823.]  SHIPWRECK  AT  CROMER.  145 

rocks  off'  the  Cromer  light-house.  The  life-boat  was  im- 
mediately brought  out,  but  so  tremendous  was  the  sea  that  no 
persuasion  could  induce  the  fishermen  to  put  off.  Once  when  a 
wave  ran  up  the  beach  and  floated  her,  Mr.  Buxton,  hoping  to 
spur  them  on  by  his  example,  sprang  in,  shouting  to  them  to 
follow  him,  but  without  effect.  Captain  Manby's  gun  was 
repeatedly  fired,  but  the  line  fell  short  of  the  vessel,  in  which 
nine  sailors  were  seen  lashed  to  the  shrouds.  At  length  a  huge 
sea  burst  over  her,  and  she  went  to  pieces,  blackening  the 
waters  with  her  cargo  of  coal.  For  an  instant  the  spectators 
looked  on  in  silent  awe. — "  Poor  dear  hearts,  they're  all  gone 
now !"  exclaimed  an  old  fisherman ;  but  at  that  moment 
Mr.  Buxton  thought  he  saw  one  of  them  borne  upon  the  top  of 
a  wave.  Without  waiting  for  a  rope,  he  at  once  dashed  into  the 
surf — caught  the  man — flung  himself  upon  him,  and  struggled 
against  the  strong  drawback  of  the  retiring  billow,  until  others 
could  reach  him,  and  he  was  dragged  to  land  with  his  rescued 
mariner,  and  carried  up  the  cliff  in  a  state  of  utter  exhaustion. 
The  deed  was  considered  by  those  on  shore  to  have  been  one  of 
extreme  peril  and  daring.*  He  said  himself  that  he  felt  the 
waves  play  with  him  as  he  could  play  with  an  orange. 

A  prominent  feature  of  his  character  was  the  careful  employ- 
ment of  his  influence  in  promoting  the  spread  of  religion  around 
him.  On  the  Sunday  evenings  his  large  dining-room  was 
usually  filled  with  a  miscellaneous  audience,  many  of  the 
fishermen  and  other  neighbours  collecting  round  him  as  well  as 
his  own  household;  and  very  impressive  were  his  brief  but  well- 
digested  comments  on  the  passage  of  Scripture  he  had  read. 
His  rule  was  to  say  nothing  unless  he  had  something  really 
weighty  to  say.  His  manner  of  speaking  showed  that  he  was 
not  only  a  teacher  but  a  learner ;  he  appeared  to  drink  in  the 
truth,  and  to  appropriate  it  with  an  earnestness  which  could  not 
but  excite  a  corresponding  feeling  in  those  who  heard  him. 
His  sentiments,  with  regard  to  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  are 
thus  expressed : — 

"Undoubtedly  it  is  good  io  read  the  Bible  ;  it  is  well  to  read  it  occa- 
sionally ;  and  if  we  do  no  more  than  take  a  superficial  view  of  it,  and 

*  See  the  Fisherman's  Friendly  Visitor,  March,  1845. 

£ 


146  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES.  [CHAP.  x. 

just  snatch  a  few  fragments  of  truth  from  it,  even  this  is  better  than  its 
utter  neglect. 

"  But  this  is  not  the  way  to  gather  from  the  Sacred  Word  those  trea- 
sures of  knowledge  which  it  will  yield.  We  must  not  read  it,  but  study 
it ;  we  must  not  cast  a  hasty  glance  upon  it,  but  meditate  upon  it  deeply 
•with  fixed  attention,  with  full  purpose  of  heart,  with  all  the  energy  of 
our  minds,  if  we  desire  to  become  masters  of  the  treasures  of  revelation  ; 
and  I  am  sure  that  Scripture  thus  diligently  studied,  read,  marked, 
learned,  and  inwardly  digested,  and  read,  too,  with  prayer  for  the 
influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  will  furnish  us  with  new  light,  open  to  us 
new  views,  and  will  appear  to  us  in  itself  of  a  new  character,  adorned 
with  a  variety  of  beauties,  with  an  emphasis  of  expression,  with  a  power 
and  a  vigour  and  an  appropriateness  to  our  own  needs,  with  a  harvest  of 
divine  instruction  and  cogent  truth,  never  yielded  to  its  careless  cultiva- 
tion. I  have  known  men,  and  men  of  good  understanding,  who  have 
been  induced  to  read  the  Bible,  and  who  have  protested  that  they  could 
make  nothing  of  it,  that  they  could  not  comprehend  it : — no  wonder  ; 
it  is  a  sealed  book  to  those  who  neither  ask  nor  receive  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

"  An  astronomer  looks  at  the  face  of  the  heavens  through  a  telescope, 
spangled  with  stars  and  planets,  and  sees  an  harmony,  an  order,  a  pro- 
fuse display  of  power  and  wisdom.  An  ordinary  man  surveys  the  same 
sky  with  the  naked  eye,  and  observes  nothing  of  all  this  :  he  has  not  the 
instrument ;  he  wants  the  telescope  which  would  reveal  the  wonders  of 
the  heavens  to  him.  And  so  it  is  in  reading  the  Bible ;  if  a  man  looks 
at  it  with  naked  unassisted  reason,  he  sees  little  and  learns  nothing;  he 
wants  the  instrument,  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  guide  his  inquiries,  to  enlighten 
his  understanding,  to  touch  his  heart. 

"  But  if  some  read  it  and  learn  nothing,  others  read  it  and  learn  but 
little.  They  begin  without  prayer  and  they  end  without  meditation. 
They  read,  but  they  do  not  inwardly  digest ;  while  others  embrace  its 
truths,  seize  and  secure  its  treasures,  and,  to  use  the  figure  of  Scripture, 
receive  the  engrafted  word  which  is  able  to  save  their  souls." 

Mr.  Buxton  and  Mr.  Hoare  had  taken  much  pains  in  establish- 
ing branches  of  the  Bible  and  Missionary  Societies  at  Cromer, 
and  from  that  time  they  made  a  point  of  attending  and  taking  a 
part  in  the  annual  meetings.  Only  on  one  occasion  was  Mr. 
Hoare  absent  from  them  up  to  the  time  of  his  death — a  period  of 
twenty-five  years  ;  and  Mr.  Buxton  was  scarcely  less  regular.  In 
every  way  he  strove  to  promote  the  well-being  of  his  poorer 
neighbours:  their  sufferings  touched  him  to  the  quick,  and  great 
was  his  anxiety  to  relieve  them.  He  would  take  pains  also  to 


IS22,]  KINDNESS  TO  THE  POOR.  147 

gratify  them  in  small  things  as  well  as  to  benefit  them  in  greater 
matters.  "  It  is  a  cruel  thing,"  he  once  said,  "  for  the  poor 
labourer  to  be  obliged  to  part  with  all  his  pig,  after  nourishing 
it  as  a  daughter,  and  letting  it  lie  in  his  bosom.  When  they  ask 
me  to  buy  a  bit,  I  buy  two — one  for  myself,  the  other  for  them  : 
they  are  so  grateful  and  so  pleased."  Proofs  that  he  was  popu- 
lar among  them  were  often  given.  Having  gone  one  day  to 
speak  to  a  friend  at  the  Magistrates'  meeting,  in  coming  out 
he  was  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  people,  one  of  whom  said  to 
him,  "  I  hope,  sir,  you  will  attend  the  meeting  to  day." 
"  No,  I  do  not  understand  magistrates'  business."  "  Yes,  sir," 
answered  a  man,  "  you  are  the  poor  man's  magistrate." 

The  following  letters,  written  between  1822  and  1826,  may 
find  a  place  here. 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON. 

"  March  30,  1822. 

"  I  have  the  satisfaction  to  find  that  government  have  finally  con- 
sented to  grant  pensions  to  the  wives  of  insane  officers ;  and  really  if  I 
do  nothing  but  this  in  Parliament  I  shall  not  think  my  time  or  labourer 
money  misspent ;  for  the  effect  will  be  to  render  many  a  poor  family 
comfortable  and  easy.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have  the  great  dissatisfac- 
tion of  finding  great  impediments  with  regard  to  the  Prison  Bill.  How- 
ever. I  feel  comfortable,  and  am  going  to  dine  with  the  Duke  of  Glou- 
cester to-day.  John  Ribbons  is  much  to  blame  in  not  going  to  church, 
and  must  do  it.  He  must  not  kill  a  rook  on  any  consideration.  I  trust 
they  will  enjoy  their  matrimonial  life  ;  and  I  feel  quite  vexed  at  the  idea 
of  their  being  molested  ;  in  short  he  must  kill  nothing  but  vermin." 

TO  A  FRIEND. 

"  London,  April  16,  1823. 

"  I  will  take  an  early  opportunity  of  moving  for  the  account  of  the 
stations,  and  for  the  number  of  lives  saved  by  the  use  of  Captain  Manby's 
apparatus ;  but  the  purpose  of  my  writing  at  present  is  of  a  different 
nature.  You  say  '  Pathos  is  not,  in  any  sense,  in  my  composition,'  and 
you  intimated  in  our  conversation  last  Sunday,  that  you  felt  fit  for  the 
drudgery  of  stating  facts,  but  not  possessed  of  the  art  of  giving  to  your 
statements  entertainment  and  interest.  Now,  this  is  utterly  and  with- 
out reserve  untrue.  The  fact  is,  that  all  persons,  if  they  set  about  it 
aright,  have  the  capacity  of  conveying  their  feelings  to  others.  *  *  * 
Honestly  speaking,  however,  I  do  think  there  is  a  certain  degree  of 
languor  and  want  of  vivacity  in  your  studied  productions  ;  and  I  am  sure 
I  know  the  cause.  You  imagine,  when  you  appear  before  the  public, 

L  2 


148  LETTER  ON  STYLE.  [CHAP.  x. 

that  you  must  appear  in  i'ull  dress,  correct  to  a  nicety — precise  to  a  hair; 
and  that  artless,  native  naivete,  and  undressed  good  humour,  are  un- 
befitting so  solemn  an  occasion  as  an  address  to  the  public :  in  all  which 
you  are  eminently  deceived.  You  are  of  opinion  that  the  public  is  so 
sagacious  a  creature  as  to  require  only  bare  facts ;  that  he  wants  no  more 
ornament  or  entertainment  than  a  mathematician.  Now,  believe  me,  the 
public  neither  can  nor  will  receive  into  his  obtuse  understanding  any- 
thing which  is  not  conveyed  through  the  medium  of  his  imagination  or 
his  feelings  ;  and  if  you  want  to  move  him  you  must  address  yourself  to 
those  only  openings  through  which  he  is  assailable.  All  the  observa- 
tions I  have  made  in  life — all  the  persons  who  have  succeeded,  and  all 
those  who  have  failed,  furnish  proofs  of  this.  I  will,  however,  only  give 
you  one.  Dr.  Lawrence,  a  man  of  great  learning  and  talents,  used  to 
make  speeches  in  the  House,  admirable  for  their  facts,  but  to  which  no 
man  ever  attended  except  Fox  :  he  was  always  seen  sitting  in  the  atti- 
tude of  deep  attention  ;  and  when  asked  the  reason,  he  said,  '  Because 
I  mean  to  speak  this  speech  over  again.'  He  actually  did  so  ;  and  those 
facts,  which  from  Dr.  Lawrence  were  unbearably  heavy,  moved  and 
delighted  the  House  from  Fox,  and  insured  certain  and  silent  attention 
from  all.  ^Vhy  ?  Because  Dr.  L.  thought  w  ith  you,  and  Fox  had  the 
good  fortune  to  agree  with  me ! 

"  Now,  then,  the  application  of  all  this.  You  ought  to  study  the  art 
of  composition — the  means  of  conveying  to  the  world  your  own  views 
and  feelings.  I  am  sure,  from  your  habits  of  research,  and  your  literary 
powers  and  opportunities,  you  may  do  a  great  deal  of  good;  but  you  are 
bound  to  do  your  best  to  effect  that  object,  in  the  way  by  which  alone  it 
can  be  accomplished — by  tickling  the  fancy  of  the  public. 
******* 

"  First,  I  should  advise  you  in  writing  to  put  down  the  native,  gay 
effusions  of  your  own  mind ;  and  to  avoid  destroying  their  effect  by  a 
cold,  correct  emendation. 

"  Secondly,  I  would  advise  you  to  study  composition  ; — '  but  where  ?  ' 
In  Cicero,  in  Quinctilian,  in  Chesterfield's  Letters  (you  will  smile  at 
the  assembly),  in  the  three  papers  on  the  Speech  of  Demosthenes  in  the 
Edinburgh  Review,  in  South's  Sermons,  Junius's  Letters,  and  the 
Spectator.  Imbibe  the  spirit  of  these,  and  I  will  venture  to  assert  that 
the  public  will  feel  as  you  feel,  and  respond  to  any  appeal  you  make  to 
them." 

JOHN  HENRY  NORTH,  ESQ.,  TO  T.  POWELL  BUXTON. 

"  Barmouth.  S, , 

"  My  dear  Buxton — I  have  at  length  sat  down  to  perform  a  lawyer's 
duty,  to  explain  things  inexplicable ;  to  wit,  why  I  have  not  written  to 


1823.]  LETTER  FROM  MR.  NORTH.  149 

yon  In-fore,  or  why  I  am  writing  to  you  now,  or  why  I  am  writing  to 
you  from  this  place.  When  the  circuit  ended,  and  left  me  at  liberty  to 
think  of  recreation,  I  embarked  myself,  my  wife,  a  gig  and  horse,  and 
without  other  incumbrance  or  accommodation  have  been  moving  about 
in  broken  weather  and  on  mountain  roads,  till  I  found  a  sheltering  place 
here.  Here,  too,  I  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  with  your  vener- 
able friend  Mr.  Wilbcrforcc.  To-day  I  had  the  pleasure  of  walking 
v.-ith  him  for  half  an  hour,  when  he  spoke  of  you  with  all  the  warmth 
and  affection  that  I  anticipated.  It  quite  delights  me  to  receive  the  un- 
varying testimony  which  comes  to  me  from  all  quarters  of  your  well- 
earned  reputation  ;  and  I  enjoyed  in  a  peculiar  manner  the  high  tribute 
which  he  paid  you,  because  I  know  you  are  considered  as  his  natural 
successor  in  the  House  of  Commons.  You  have  a  boldness,  spirit,  and 
intrepidity  that  fit  you  for  rougher  warfare  than  he  ever  ventured  to 
onira-re  in  ;  and  public  opinion,  more  powerful  and  enlightened  now  than 
in  his  time,  will  support  you  in  attempting  the  great  objects  you  have  in 
view  by  more  direct  and  expeditious  methods  than  it  would  have  been 
wise  in  him  to  adopt.  Yes,  Buxton,  I  do  hope  that  we  shall  labour 
together  yet  in  rooting  out  the  Slave  trade  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe; 
in  improving  or  perfecting  the  Criminal  law  of  England,  and  in  eman- 
cipating, educating,  and  civilising  my  unfortunate  countrymen. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  heard  that  I  am  an  Orangeman,  and  that  my 
health  is  drunk  next  after  the  Protestant  ascendancy  ;  but  my  opinions 
on  the  state  of  Ireland,  and  the  policy  it  requires,  remain  unchanged. 
Lord  Wellesley  and  Plunket  have  made  sad  work  of  it. 

"  When  I  tell  you  that  twenty  miles  a  day  is  the  utmost  that  I  can 
impel  my  horse,  you  will  admit  the  impracticability  of  my  crossing  the 
island  to  Norfolk.  I  wish  you  had  some  of  my  roving  disposition,  or 
that  there  was  good  shooting  on  the  marshes  of  Wales,  and  we  might  yet 
spend  three  or  four  days  pleasantly  together.  Of  our  old  friends  I  have 
no  news.  Strong  you  see  from  time  to  time  in  London.  Stock  it 
Stock ;  everything  else  alters,  but  he  remains  immoveable.  He  is  un- 
changed too  in  his  friendships,  and  feels  the  same  warm  regard  for  you 
and  me  that  he  ever  felt.  Wray  is  a  Senior  Fellow,  and  surprised  the 
college  by  the  excellence  of  his  fellowship  examinations.  Robinson  has 
married  and  accepted  a  living. 

"  I  do  not  know  with  what  face  lean  ask  you  to  write  to  me,  but  one 
can  be  very  impudent  upon  paper.  *  *  *  We  have  a  friend  here, 
the  most  amiable  of  men— a  Mr.  M'Ghee,  a  young  clergyman.  He  is 
quite  devoted  to  religion  ;  and  his  views  coincide  entirely  w  ith  what 
I  believe  to  be  yours.  In  the  pulpit  he  is  nearly  the  most  eloquent 
preacher  I  ever  heard.  He  is  a  friend  of  Mr.  Wilberforce,  who  came 
bcre  at  his  suggestion.  If  he  should  ever  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing 


150  LETTER  FROM  MR.  WILBERFOKCE.  [CHAP.  x. 

you,  let  this  letter  be  an  introduction  to  him.  My  dear  Bnxton,  may 
God  bless  you  and  your  dear  family,  and  my  dear  friend  Mrs.  Buxton, 
and  long  preserve  you  to  the  cause  of  humanity,  patriotism,  and 
religion  1 

"  Your  ever  affectionate  friend, 

"  JOHN  HENRY  NORTH." 

Mr.  Wilberforce  writes  at  the  same  period  : — 

"  Barmouth,  Sept.  3,  1823. 

"  My  dear  Buxton — Oh,  how  much  I  wish  you  and  yours  were  all  at 
this  place !  If  you  have  any  passion  for  rocks  and  mountains,  here  it 
might  be  gratified  to  the  utmost  of  your  desires.  And  there  is  another, 
and,  to  your  friendly  heart,  I  know  a  still  more  powerful  attraction,  in 
the  person  of  Mr.  North,  the  Irish  barrister,  who  is  staying  here  with 
nis  lady  (the  sister  of  Leslie  Forster)  for  a  short  time.  I  own  I  had 
formed  a  very  different  idea  of  his  exterior  and  manners.  Your  Irish 
man  of  genius  commonly  has  somewhat  volcanic  about  him ;  flash  and 
fertility,  and  now  and  then  a  puff  of  smoke  too,  though  often  also  with 
fine  coruscations  and  aspirations  of  flame  and  starry  scintillations ;  but 
North's  manner  is  so  quiet,  and  soft,  and  insinuating,  that  I  should 
never  have  guessed  him  to  be  an  Irishman  ;  you  cannot  hear  him  con- 
verse, even  for  a  few  minutes,  without  conceiving  both  respect  and 

regard  for  him. 

****** 

"  My  dear  friend,  I  don't  like  to  conclude  without  one  serious  word. 
Indeed,  were  I  to  do  so,  my  letter  would  be  a  very  unfaithful  picture  of 
my  mind,  and  a  letter  to  a  friend  ought  to  be  quite  a  copy  of  it ;  for  my 
most  affectionate  thoughts  and  feelings  about  you  and  yours  are  serious, 
far  above  the  region  of  levities  and  frivolities.  May  it  please  God,  my 
dear  friend,  to  bless  you  with  a  long  course  of  usefulness,  and  honour, 
and  comfort ;  and  may  you  and  I,  and  all  that  are  most  dear  to  us 
respectively,  after  having  filled  up  our  appointed  course,  according  to  the 
will  of  God,  in  his  faith,  and  fear,  and  love,  as  redeemed  and  grateful 
purchases  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  be  received  into  that  world  of  peace, 
and  love,  and  joy,  where  all  will  be  holiness  and  happiness  for  evermore  ! 
So  wishes,  so  prays, 

"  Your  sincere  and  affectionate  friend, 

"  W.  WILBERFORCE." 

T.  F.  BUXTON,  ESQ.,  TO  A  FRIKND. 

.24,  1825. 

"  We  have  had  a  most  noble  debate  on  Ireland.  Burdett's  and 
Canning's  speeches  were  superlative.  As  an  object  of  ambition,  there 


1825.]  MARTIN'S  ACT. 


is  nothing  to  compare  with  such  exertions  ;  and  there  was  a  time  when 
my  bosom  burned  to  achieve  them  ;  but  that  folly  is  defunct.  After  all 
they  are  but  an  object  of  ambition  ;  they  convey  no  reality  of  honour  or 
of  happiness.  Falstaff  and  I  are  exactly  of  the  same  opinion  on  the 
subject  of  reputation.  I  shall  speak  as  well  as  I  can  for  usefulness,  but 
not  for  fame  ;  my  serious  opinion  being,  that  good  woodcock  shooting 
is  a  preferable  thing  to  glory." 

"  Feb.  25,  1825. 

"  Martin  brought  forward  last  night  a  new  cruelty  bill.  Sir  M. 
Ridley  and  another  member  opposed  it,  and  I  evidently  saw  that  there 
was  so  much  disposition  to  sneer  at  and  make  game  of  Martin,  that  the 
bears  and  dogs  would  suffer.  Up  I  got,  and  when  I  found  myself  on 
my  legs  I  asked  myself  this  cutting  question  :  —  Have  you  anything  to 
say  ?  '  Not  a  syllable,'  was  the  answer  from  within  ;  but  necessity  has 
no  law  ;  speak  I  must,  and  so  I  did.  I  began  with  challenging  my 
share  of  the  sneers  and  obloquy  which  had  been  cast  on  Martin.  *  *  * 
We  saved  the  bill,  and  all  the  dogs  in  England  and  bears  in  Christen- 
dom ought  to  howl  us  a  congratulation." 

To  a  gentleman  who  had  asked  for  the  secretaryship  of  a 
mining  company  for  a  friend,  saying,  "  He  had  been  a  brave 
officer  :"  — 

"April!  7,  1825. 

"  You  say  he  is  brave  ;  what  has  that  to  do  with  the  mines  ?  We 
don't  want  to  fight  the  silver.  Is  he  a  vigorous,  energetic  dog,  who 
will  conquer  difficulties  ?  Is  he  a  sharp,  clear-headed  man,  who  will 
not  let  us  be  cheated  ?  Is  he  a  man  who  will  do  business  ?  Is  he  a 
good  -tempered  man,  who  will  quarrel  with  nobody?  You  naval  gentle- 
men think  of  nothing  but  courage,  and  think  you  have  given  the  most 
special  recommendation  when  you  assure  us  that  your  friend  is  most 
perfectly  ready  to  knock  out  his  neighbour's  brains  ;  whereas  we 
cowardly  landsmen  are  not  so  fond  of  fighting,  or  fighting  men." 

To  a  friend  who  had  remonstrated  with  him  on  speaking  too 
strongly  to  a  person  in  power  on  the  subject  of  slavery  — 

"  1826. 

"  I  cannot  leave  London  without  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  your 
letter,  though  I  am  not  very  well. 

"  Our  conversation  has  left  a  kind  of  double  impression  on  my  mind. 
I  am  glad  I  spoke  out.  I  have  made  it  a  sacred  rule  to  myself  never  to 
change  my  opinion  of  a  man  for  whom  I  felt  a  friendship,  without  telling 
him  to  his  face  what  I  had  to  object  against  him.  I  have  sometimes 
found  myself  altogether  mistaken  ;  and  often,  if  not  always,  there  has 


152  LETTER  ON  CANDOUR.  [CHAP.  x. 

been  something  to  be  said  on  the  other  side  which  I  had  not  anticipated. 
I  am  not  aware  that  I  ever  had  a  quarrel  with  any  one  who  had  been 
my  friend,  and  to  this  good  rule  I  owe  my  preservation.  I  am  glad, 
therefore,  that  I  did  not  disguise  what  had  been  long  and  much  on  my 
mind.  It  is  to  me  matter  of  amazement  that  any  man  of  principle  can 
materially  differ  with  me  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  I  wonder  when  I 
see  an  honest  man  who  does  not  hate  it  as  I  do,  who  does  not  long  for 
the  opportunity  of  giving  it  a  death-blow  ;  and  as  I  cannot  believe  that 
any  change  of  circumstances  could  make  me  anything  but  a  favourer,  and 
well-wisher,  and  encourager  to  those  who  were  devoted  to  that  duty,  I 
am  quite  perplexed  by  finding  that  there  are  persons  who  look  upon 

me,  because  thus  engaged,  with  an  unfriendly  eye.     is  a  man  for 

whom  I  have  ever  entertained  both  respect  and  liking  ;  I  am  therefore 
glad  I  hazarded  the  truth  ;  but  I  am  not  glad  that  I  did  it  in  so  strong 
a  manner.  I  did  not  tell  my  whole  mind.  I  wished  to  have  said  that 
I  was  very  sorry  I  could  not  acknowledge  many  services  he  had  rendered 
to  our  cause  ;  but  I  wished  to  have  said  this  in  sorrow,  not  in  anger :  and 
if  I  left  the  impression  that  I  had  any  feeling  of  enmity  towards  him  I 
did  myself  great  injustice." 

TO  A  CLERGYMAN. 

"  Cromer  Hall,  Aug.  22,  1826. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — I  very  much  wish  you  would  come  into  Norfolk, 
for  I  really  want  to  have  a  conversation  with  you ;  and  it  is  odd  enough 
that  it  is  upon  a  business  entirely  yours,  with  which  I  have  no  kind  of 
concern.  I  remember  two  observations  of  yours,  which,  little  as  I 
might  appear  to  heed  them  at  the  time,  made  a  deep  impression  on  me. 
The  one  was,  '  I  should  very  much  like  to  be  a  country  gentleman.  I 
would  not  have  the  best  horses,  or  dogs,  or  farms,  in  the  county  ;  but  I 
would  exert  myself  to  improve  the  people  who  were  under  my  influence. 
A  country  gentleman,  thus  employed,  totis  viribus,  might  accomplish  a 
vast  range  of  good.'  The  other  was,  when  you  said  to  one  of  your 
parishioners  who  was  fond  of  music,  '  I,  too,  love  music  ;  I  hope  to 
enjoy  a  great  deal  of  it,  but  I  will  wait  till  I  get  to  heaven.'  Now, 
having  had  the  use  of  these  observations  for  some  years,  I  feel  bound  to 
return  them  to  you  for  your  use  and  benefit,  for  it  strikes  me  you  want 
them  just  at  this  time.  I  hear  you  are  going  to  build  a  house  ;  no  doubt 
you  will  do  it  with  excellent  taste ;  then  it  will  require  to  be  suitably 
furnished  ;  then  the  grounds  must  be  improved  about  it,  and  by  that 
time  your  heart  will  be  in  it.  I  am  sure  that  house  will  lead  to  your 
secularization.  It  will  melt  you  down  towards  an  ordinary  country  par- 
son ;  not  the  parson  who  loves  his  dinner  and  his  claret,  but  rather 
towards  that  refined  class  of  triflers,  who  exquisitely  embellish  houses 


1826.]  LETTER  TO  A  CLERGYMAN.  i;,3 

and  card  ens,  and  who  leave  the  minds  and  souls  of  their  flocks  to  take 
t-a iv  of  themselves.  You  see  I  have  scratched  out  'into'  and  inserted 
'  towards,'  because  I  am  bound  in  truth  to  confess,  that  I  am  sure  you 
will,  under  any  circumstances,  and  in  spite  of  all  seductions,  be  an 
exemplary  clergyman.  You  will  have  your  schools,  and  your  weekday 
services,  and  your  sound,  lively,  evangelical  doctrine  in  the  pulpit;  but 
what  I  mean  to  say  is,  that  just  so  much  of  your  affections  as  you  give 
to  your  house,  exactly  so  much  will  you  withdraw  from  your  parish. 

"  After  all,  the  discharge  of  a  man's  duty,  and,  d  fortiori,  of  a 
clergyman's  duty,  requires  all  the  strength  we  can  give  it.  The  world, 
and  the  spirit  of  the  world,  are  very  insidious,  and  the  older  we  grow 
the  more  inclined  we  are  to  think  as  others  think,  and  act  as  others  act ; 
and  more  than  once  I  have  seen  a  person,  who,  as  a  youth,  was  single- 
eyed  and  single-hearted,  and  who,  to  any  one  who  supposed  he  might 
glide  into  laxity  of  zeal,  would  have  said,  'Am  I  a  dog?'  in  maturer 
age  become,  if  not  a  lover  of  the  vices  of  the  world,  at  least  a  tolerator 
of  its  vanities.  I  speak  here  feelingly,  for  the  world  has  worn  away 
much  of  the  little  zeal  I  ever  had.  '  What  is  the  harm,'  you  will  say, 
'  of  a  convenient  house  :  what  is  the  harm  of  a  convenient  house  being 
elegant ;  of  an  elegant  house  being  suitably  furnished  ?'  The  same 
personage  who  insinuates  this  to  you,  said  to  me,  '  Where  is  the  harm  of 
having  a  few  dogs, — those  few  very  good  ?  you  preserve  game — do  it 
well — do  it  better  than  other  people  :'  and  so  he  stole  away  my  heart 
from  better  things.  I  have  more  game  and  better  horses  and  dogs  than 
other  people,  but  the  same  energy,  disposed  of  in  a  different  way,  might 
have  spread  Bible  and  Missionary  Societies  over  the  Hundred  of  North 
Erpingham. 

"All  this  applies  to  you,  more' than  to  any  person  I  know.  You 
have,  by  a  singular  dispensation  of  Providence,  obtained  a  station  of 
influence  ;  you  have  a  vigour  and  alacrity  of  mind  with  which  few  are 
gifted;  upon  no  man's  heart  is  'the  vanity  of  this  life'  more  strongly 
stamped.  You  have  a  great,  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  an  unequalled 
influence  over  those  around  you.  These  together  constitute  great  power 
of  doing  good.  The  question  is,  shall  you  give  it  wholly  to  God.  walk- 
ing through  life  as  one  who  really  despises  the  indulgences  on  which 
others  set  their  hearts;  acting  fully  up  to  your  own  creed,  and  the  con- 
victions of  your  better  moments,  or  will  you  give  two  thirds  of  that 
power  to  God,  and  one-third  of  it  to  the  world  ?  Will  you  have  your 
music  here,  or  will  you  wait  a  few  years  for  it?  Old  Wesley  su'd,  when 
called  upon,  according  to  the  Act  of  Parliament,  to  give  an  account  of 
his  service  of  plate,  in  order  to  be  taxed,  'I  have  five  silver  spoons; 
these  are  all  I  have,  and  all  I  mean  to  have,  while  my  poor  neighbours 
want  bread.'  That  is  the  spirit  which  becomes  a  minister.  Will  you 


154  LETTER  TO  A  CLERGYMAN  [CHAP.  x. 

say,  twenty  years  hence,  to  Death,  when  he  pays  you  a  visit,  '  I  built 
this  house— by  the  confession  of  all  men  a  parsonage  in  the  purest  taste  ; 
I  selected  these  pictures  :  observe  the  luxuriance  of  the  trees  I  planted  ; 
just  do  me  the  favour  to  notice  the  convenience  of  this  library,  and  the 
beauty  of  the  prospect  from  that  window  ?'  or  will  you  say,  '  I  have 
spent  my  days  in  this  homely  habitation,  where  there  is  nothing  for 
luxury  to  enjoy  or  taste  to  admire  ;  but  there  is  my  parish,  not  a  child 
there  but  can  read  the  Bible,  and  loves  it  too :  in  every  house  there  is 
prayer,  in  every  heart  there  is  an  acknowledgment  of  Christ,  and  that 
he  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners  ?'  I  do  not  mean  to  say,  even  if 
you  build  your  house,  that  when  that  epoch  arrives  you  will  not  be  able 
to  show  a  very  good  parish,  as  well  as  a  very  good  parsonage  ;  I  only 
mean  to  say,  that  the  house  and  the  parish  will  be  the  inverse  of  each 
other,  the  better  the  house,  the  worse  the  parish.  The  less  you  sur- 
round yourself  with  accommodations,  the  less  you  conform  yourself  to 
the  taste  of  the  multitude,  the  more  exclusively,  and  the  more  power- 
fully, you  will  do  your  own  work. 

"  No  man  has  a  surplus  of  power  :  meaning  by  power — time,  talents, 
money,  influence.  There  is  room  for  the  exercise  of  all,  and  more  than 
all,  which  the  most  affluent  possesses.  Perhaps  one  parish  is  enough  for 
the  full  employment  of  this  power ;  if  not,  the  neighbourhood  will  take 
off  the  redundance  ;  if  not,  there  are  three  quarters  of  the  world,  which 
are  heathen,  and  want  his  aid.  There,  at  least,  is  full  occupation  for 
the  wealth  of  his  mind,  and  his  purse.  It  is,  therefore,  arithmetically 
true,  that  so  much  as  he  devotes  to  the  secular  object  he  withdraws  from 
the  spiritual.  It  is  not  more  clear,  that  a  man  having  a  large  hungry 
farm  for  his  livelihood,  and  a  garden  for  his  recreation,  that  as  much 
manure  as  he  spreads  on  his  garden,  of  so  much  he  deprives  his  fields. 
He  grows  more  flowers  and  less  bread.  But  this  is  not  all :  it  is  not 
merely  the  quantum  of  his  force  which  he  thus  wastes ;  that  is  the  least 
part  of  his  loss.  He  touches  the  world  at  one  point,  and  the  infection 
reaches  him  by  the  contact.  If  he  resembles  others  in  his  house,  why 
not  in  his  table  ?  why  not  in  his  society  ?  why  not  in  anything  which 
is  not  positively  wrong  ? 

"  Now  every  word  of  this  sermon  is  inconsistent  with  my  own  prac- 
tice ;  but  never  mind  that ;  truth  is  truth,  whoever  speaks  it. 

"  It  may  be  a  way — 

1  Out  of  this  wreck  to  rise  in, 
A  sure  and  safe  one,  though  thy  master  missed  it.' 

"  But  why  do  I  write  all  this  to  you  ?  solely  because  I  have  the 
highest  opinion  of  you  and  your  powers.  I  have  watched  your  course 
now  for  many  years  with  interest ;  and  I  am  very  desirous  that  the  Rector 


1826.] 


ON  HIS  NEW  HOUSE. 


155 


of  A should  equal  the  Curate  of  B .    The  objects  of  vulgar 

care,  and  the  pursuits  of  vulgar  ambition,  are  not  for  you.  I  hope  to 
see  in  your  parish  an  example  of  what  may  be  done  by  a  clergyman 
having  talents,  income,  influence,  out  of  the  common  order.  It  just 
occurs  to  me  that  all  this  may  be  misapplied,  that  your  house  has  not, 
and  is  not  likely  to  have,  a  tittle  of  your  affections.  Be  it  so — then 
give  this  letter  to  your  housemaid  to  light  your  fire  with.  But  if  you 
suspect  that  you  want  the  friendly  freedom  of  this  hint,  in  the  midst  of 
your  present  prosperity,  keep  this  as  a  memorial  of  the  attachment  of 

"  Yours,  very  truly, 

"T.  F.  BVXTO>-." 


156  THE  MAURITIUS  SLAVE  TRADE.  [CHAP.  xi. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

1826,  1827. 

Tha  Mauritius  Slave  Trade  —  Mr.  Byam  and  General  Hall  —  Mr.  Buxton 
studies  and  undertakes  the  Question  —  Touching  Incident  —  Debate  — 
Committee  of  Inquiry  —  Stormy  Election  at  Weymouth  —  Letters  — 
Laborious  Investigations  —  Frightful  Attack  of  Illness  —  Unexpected 
Recovery. 

THE  year  of  trial,  granted  by  the  Government  to  the  colonial 
legislatures,  suspended  during  that  time  all  anti-slavery  pro- 
ceedings. This  interval  was  not  thrown  away — Mr.  Buxton  at 
once  turned  his  whole  mind  to  a  new,  though  kindred  question. 

A  few  months  previously  he  had  received  a  visit  from  a 
gentleman  of  the  name  of  Byam,  who  had  been  commissary- 
general  of  the  police  at  the  Mauritius,  and  had  come  home  full 
of  indignation  at  the  abuses  he  had  there  witnessed.  He  asserted 
that  the  slave-trade  was  still  prevailing  in  that  island  to  a  frightful 
extent ;  that  the  inhabitants  and  the  authorities  were  alike  impli- 
cated, and  that  the  labouring  slaves  were  treated  with  atrocious 
cruelty ;  the  greater,  because  their  loss  could  be  so  easily 
supplied. 

The  Mauritius*  had  not  been  ceded  to  England  by  France 
till  1810,  which  was  three  years  after  the  abolition  of  the  British 
slave-trade.  It  appeared  that,  partly  owing  to  this  circumstance, 
and  partly  to  the  facilities  afforded  by  the  proximity  of  the 
African  coast,  the  traffic  had  never  been  put  down  in  those 
quarters,  except  during  one  or  two  brief  intervals. 

To  these  startling  assertions  Mr.  Buxton  could  not  yield  im- 
mediate belief;  still  less  could  he  refuse  to  investigate  them. 
From  Mr.  Byam,  and  other  individuals,  especially  General  Hall 

*  The  Mauritius  was  discovered  in  1505,  by  Mascaregnas,  a  Portuguese. 
It  received  its  name  from  that  of  the  ship  of  Van  Neck,  a  Dutchman,  who 
first  settled  on  it  in  1595.  The  story  of  Paul  and  Virginia  throws  a  ro- 
mantic interest  over  this  rich  and  beautiful  island. 


1826.]  TOUCHING  INCIDENT.  157 

(who  had  been  a  governor  of  the  Mauritius),  he  obtained  a  large 
mass  of  documents,  and  after  a  long  and  minute  study  of  their 
contents  he  came  to  the  certain  conviction  that  the  charge  was 
true.  He  was  appalled  by  the  greatness  of  the  evil  thus  unveiled 
to  him.  It  was  no  light  matter,  however,  to  begin  a  struggle 
with  a  foe  so  distant  and  inaccessible,  and  at  first  he  shrank  from 
the  undertaking.  But  how  could  he  know  of  such  iniquities 
without  standing  up  against  them  ?  At  that  time  he  little 
thought  that  in  six  years  British  slavery  would  be  done  away. 
He  expected  a  far  more  lengthened  contest ;  and,  meanwhile, 
should  these  horrors  be  permitted  to  continue? — No  !  A  year's 
leisure  lay  before  him,  and,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Lushington 
and  others,  he  took  the  task  in  hand. 

A  plan  of  operation  was  soon  laid,  in  accordance  with  which 
Mr.  (now  Sir)  George  Stephen,  a  stanch  and  hereditary  aboli- 
tionist, took  upon  himself  the  labour,  demanding  no  less  skill 
than  perseverance,  of  discovering  and  examining  witnesses.* 
The  first  of  these  was  Mrs.  Byani's  English  maid  servant,  who, 
while  in  the  Mauritius,  had  done  various  little  acts  of  kindness 
to  the  slaves. 

One  incident  related  by  her  powerfully  affected  Mr.  Buxton. 
In  the  middle  of  the  night  preceding  the  departure  of  Mr. 
Byam's  family  from  the  island,  she  was  awakened  by  a  low  voice 
calling  to  her  from  without ;  she  rose,  and  was  terrified  at  finding 
the  whole  court-yard  filled  with  negroes.  They  beseechingly 
beckoned  her  to  be  still,  and  then,  falling  upon  their  knees,  they 
implored  her,  as  she  was  going  to  the  country  of  Almighty  God, 
to  tell  Him  of  their  sufferings,  and  to  entreat  Him  to  send  them 
relief. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1826,  Mr.  Buxton  brought  the  Mauritius 
question  before  Parliament.  In  the  commencement  of  his  speech 


*  Mr.  Buxton  used  to  relate  a  conversation  as  having  occurred  at  liis  ovrn 
table,  in  connection  with  this  question,  •which  much  amused  him.  A  gentle- 
man who  bad  been  resident  in  the  Mauritius,  one. day  dining  with  him, 
laboured  to  set  him  right  as  to  the  condition  of  the  slaves,  assuring  him  that 
the  blacks  there  were  in  fact  the  happiest  people  in  the  whole  world.  He 

finished  by  appealing  to  his  wife.     "  Now,  my  dear,  you  saw  Mr.  T "s 

slaves;  do  tell  Mr.  Buxton  how  happy  they  looked."     "  Well,  yes,"  inno- 
cently replied  the  lady,  •'  they  were  very  happy,  I'm  sure only  I  used 

to  think  it  so  odd  to  see  the  black  cooks  chained  to  the  fireplace  !  " 


158  THE  MAURITIUS  SLAVE  TRADE.  [CHAP.  xi. 

he  reminded  the  House  that  the  traffic  in  slaves  was  by  law  a 
felony.     "  And  yet,"  he  continued  : — 

"  I  stand  here  to  assert,  that  in  a  British  colony,  for  the  last  fourteen 
years,  except  during  General  Hall's  brief  administration,  the  slave  trade 
in  all  its  horrors  has  existed :  that  it  has  been  carried  on  to  the  extent 
of  thousands,  and  tens  of  thousands ;  that,  except  upon  one  or  two  occa- 
sions, which  I  will  advert  to,  there  has  been  a  regular,  systematic,  and 
increasing  importation  of  slaves." 

He  then  proceeded  to  prove  this  statement,  adducing  the 
evidence  of  one  admiral  and  four  naval  captains,  one  general  and 
three  military  officers,  five  high  civil  officers,  and  two  out  of  the 
three  governors  of  the  island  ;  and  then,  from  calculations  which 
he  had  very  fully  and  accurately  made,  he  proved  every  one  of 
the  eight  distinct  heads  of  accusation  which  he  had  brought 
forward.  By  a  return  of  the  number  of  the  black  population  in 
the  Seychelles,  he  showed  that  there  was  only  one  alternative, 
either  the  slave-trade  had  been  carried  on,  or  every  female  in 
that  group  of  islands  must  have  been  the  mother  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  children.*  He  concluded  his  speech  by  sketching 
with  a  powerful  hand  the  features  of  the  trade  which  he  was 
attacking  (and  let  the  reader,  while  perusing  the  following 
extract,  remember  that  the  same  barbarities  are  going  on  at  this 
very  day,  between  the  west  coast  of  Africa  and  the  Brazils). 
-  After  describing  the  system  of  capture,  &c.,  he  said, — 

"  The  fourth  step  is  the  voyage,  the  horrors  of  which  are  beyond 
description.  For  example,  the  mode  of  packing.  The  hold  of  a  slave- 
vessel  is  from  two  to  four  feet  high.  It  is  filled  with  as  many  human 
beings  as  it  will  contain.  They  are  made  to  sit  down  with  their  heads 
between  their  knees :  first,  a  line  is  placed  close  to  the  side  of  the 
vessel ;  then  another  line,  and  then  the  packer,  armed  with  a  heavy 
club,  strikes  at  the  feet  of  this  last  line,  in  order  to  make  them  press  as 
closely  as  possible  against  those  behind.  And  so  the  packing  goes  on, 
until,  to  use  the  expression  of  an  eye-witness,  '  they  are  wedged  together 
in  one  mass  of  living  corruption.'  Then  the  stench  is  so  dreadful  that 
I  am  assured  by  an  officer,  that  holding  his  head  for  a  few  moments 
over  the  air-hole  was  almost  fatal  to  his  life.  Thus  it  is  that — suffocating 
for  want  of  air, — starving  for  want  of  food, — parched  with  thirst  for 
want  of  water, — these  poor  creatures  are  compelled  to  perform  a  voyage 
of  fourteen  hundred  miles.  No  wonder  the  mortality  is  dreadful !" 

*  Hansard,  P.  D.,  xv.,  p.  1030. 


1826.]  STORMY  ELECTION  AT  WEYMOUTH.  159 

lie  obtained  a  select  committee  to  inquire  whether  the  slave- 
trade  had  or  had  not  existed  in  the  Mauritius.  But  its  investi- 
gations were  soon  arrested  by  the  dissolution  of  Parliament ;  and 
in  the  beginning  of  June  Mr.  Buxton  found  himself  involved  in 
a  stormy  election  at  Weymouth,  which  at  that  time,  with  the 
united  borough  of  Mel  com  be  Regis,  returned  four  members. 
The  non-electors  and  the  mob  were  in  favour  of  the  Tory  candi- 
dates, and  resorted  to  main  force  to  prevent  the  polling  of  the 
Whig  votes.  Their  plan  was,  with  the  aid  of  a  large  body  of 
stout  Portlanders,  to  obtain  possession  of  the  Town  Hall,  at  the 
further  extremity  of  which  the  booth  was  placed.  No  Whig 
voter  reached  the  table  without  a  violent  struggle  and  very 
rough  treatment.  Some  M-ere  delayed  for  hours,  first  by  this 
means,  and  then  by  the  objections  urged  by  the  lawyers ;  and  so 
great  was  the  success  of  all  this,  that  on  one  day  but  six  votes 
were  polled.  To  remedy  in  some  degree  this  evil,  the  mayor 
extended  the  hours  of  polling  from  4  to  6  o'clock.  This  measure 
was  extremely  unpopular  with  the  mobility  of  the  place,  who  of 
course  wished  the  election  to  last  as  many  clays  as  possible.  It 
was  rumoured  that  an  attack  on  the  Town  Hall  was  in  contem- 
plation, and  a  strong  body  of  cavalry  was  called  into  the  town. 
The  mob,  however,  were  not  dismayed.  At  4  o'clock  they 
assembled  in  great  force,  and  suddenly  rushed  with  a  loud  yell 
upon  the  door  of  the  Town  Hall.  Some  passed  under  the  horses 
of  the  soldiers,  others  pressed  between  them ;  the  ranks  of  the 
cavalry  were  broken,  and  the  crowd  poured  in.  At  the  same 
moment  a  great  number  of  them  ran  over  the  leads  of  the  houses 
adjoining  the  Town  Hall,  lowered  themselves  from  the  roof 
into  its  upper  windows,  and  came  tumbling  into  the  Hall  in 
crowds,  rushing  towards  the  polling-booth  with  loud  shouts,  and 
pressing  back  the  gentlemen  to  the  further  end.  Most  of  these 
scrambled  out  of  the  windows  at  once  ;  a  few  kept  their  seats 
till  they  were  almost  suffocated  by  the  mob,  but  were  forced  at 
last  to  jump  from  the  windows  into  the  arms  of  their  friends 
below.  Subsequently  a  large  number  of  special  constables  were 
sworn  in  and  placed  in  the  Hall.  On  two  successive  days  the 
mob  broke  all  their  staves  to  pieces,  and  drove  them  out  with 
great  violence. 

Mr.  Buxton   kept   himself  as   clear  as   possible   from   these 


160  STORMY  ELECTION  AT  WEYMOUTH.        [CHAP.  xi. 

tumults :  his  own  election  was  throughout  secure,  and  he  was 
personally  highly  popular.  He  is  described  as  being  received, 
even  by  the  Tories,  "  with  loud  shouts  of  approbation ;  crowds 
came  about  him  to  shake  hands ;  indeed,"  adds  the  letter,  '•  he 
does  not  appear  to  have  a  person  against  him  in  the  town." 

The  election  lasted  fifteen  days,  at  the  end  of  which  he  was  at 
the  head  of  the  poll  by  a  majority  of  sixty-nine ;  but  the  other 
Whig  candidate  was  defeated,  and  three  Tories  came  in. 

TO  SAMUEL  HOARE,  ESQ. 

"  Weymouth,  June  16,  1826. 

"  This  is  the  sixth  day  of  polling,  and  there  is  every  probability  of 
six  days  more.  The  election  is  carried  on  with  the  utmost  violence, 

and  at  monstrous  expense.     It  is  said  that spends  1500/.  a  day  ; 

his  party  confess  to  10007.  He  has  nine  public  houses  open,  where 
anybody,  male  or  female,  from  town  or  country,  is  very  welcome  to  eat 
and  get  drunk  ;  and,  the  truth  is,  the  whole  town  is  drunk.  I  send  you 
a  copy  of  a  letter  which  I  wrote  to  the  chairman  of  our  committee  yes- 
terday, protesting  against  any  such  proceedings  on  our  side." 

The  letter  referred  to  is  as  follows : — 

"  Weymouth,  June  15,  1826. 

"  My  dear  Sir, — I  wish  to  repeat  to  you  in  writing,  what  I  stated  to 
you  several  times,  and  what  I  declared  yesterday  on  the  hustings ;  I 
will  be  no  party  to  any  expenses  which  are  contrary  to  law.  I  will  pay 
no  part  of  the  expense  of  opening  houses.  If  any  individual  on  his 
own  responsibility  does  so,  pray  let  him  clearly  understand  that  he  will 
hereafter  have  no  claim  upon  me.  It  is  contrary  to  my  principles  to 
obtain  any  accession  of  strength  by  illegal  means.  I  will  not  do  it,  and 
will  not  sanction  it.  I  request  you  will  make  this  communication  known 
to  the  candidates,  the  agents,  and  the  committee." 

TO  JOSEPH  JOHN  GURNET,  ESQ. 
(Who  had  offered  to  share  in  the  expenses  of  the  election.) 

"  SpitalfieUs,  July  18,  1826. 

"  I  was  very  much  pleased  with  your  letter.  That  kind  of  com- 
munity of  feeling  and  interest  which  subsists  between  us  all  is  a  rare,  a 
good,  and  a  most  pleasant  thing ;  and,  under  certain  circumstances,  I 
should  have  no  kind  of  indisposition  to  be  aided  by  you  and  the  lest. 
My  clear  opinion,  however,  is,  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  it  at  this 


IS«,  1827.]  LABORIOUS  INVESTIGATIONS.  1C1 

tiiiii1.  I  feel  warranted  in  depriving  my  family  of  the  sum  my  election 
will  cost,  considering  the  very  peculiar  situation  in  which  the  slave 
question,  the  Mauritius  question,  and  the  Suttee  (Indian  Widows) 
question  stand.  Without  extravagantly  overrating  my  own  usefulness, 
I  think  it  would  be  inconvenient  for  me  to  be  out  of  Parliament  just 
now.  There  are  plenty  of  people  with  more  talents,  but  a  great  lack 
of  those  who  truly  love  a  good  cause  for  its  own  sake,  and  whom  no 
price  would  detach  from  it ;  and  so  for  this  time  I  feel  warranted  in 
robbing  my  family.  I  therefore  decline  your  most  generous  offer  to 
assist  in  my  election  expenses ;  and  I  do  so  with  many  thanks,  and  with 
great  pleasure  that  the  offer  was  made.* 

"  I  am  very,  very  sorry  I  cannot  join  Wilberforce  at  Earlham  ; 
nothing  prevents  me  except  the  Mauritius  question,  and  that  to  him 
will  be  a  pretty  good  reason. 

"  I  shall  not  be  at  Cromer  Hall  till  early  in  August,  so  despatch  the 
Aylsham  Bible  Society  without  me  ;  I  am  sick  of  public  duties,  and 
run  away  from  them  without  scruple." 

The  rest  of  the  year  1826  was  chiefly  employed  in  the  labo- 
rious task  of  preparing  Mauritian  evidence  for  the  ensuing1 
session.  For  this  purpose  Mr.  G.  Stephen  visited  every  part  of 
England  where  soldiers  were  quartered  who  had  at  any  time 
served  in  the  Mauritius.  The  depositions  of  both  officers  and 
men  at  Hull,  Norwich,  Liverpool,  Chelsea,  and  other  places 
were  taken  ;  thus  the  testimony  was  produced  of  320  witnesses 
of  good  character,  who  all  spoke  to  the  fact  of  a  trade  in  slaves. 
Early  in  1827  Mr.  Buxton  moved  for  a  renewal  of  the  com- 
mittee ;  but,  at  the  request  of  the  Government,  his  motion  was 
deferred  till  the  26th  of  May,  and,  meantime,  he  strenuously 
exerted  himself  in  the  further  investigation  of  the  case. 

In  his  speech  on  the  9th  of  May,  1826,  he  had  accused  the 
authorities  of  the  island  of  culpable  neglect.  This  was  highly 
resented  by  the  late  governor,  Sir  Robert  Farquhar,  who,  in 
the  beginning  of  May,  1827,  complained  in  the  House  of 
Commons  of  the  charge,  and  dared  Mr.  Buxton  to  the  proof. 
This  entailed  upon  him  what  he  had  hoped  to  avoid,  the  painful 
necessity  of  individual  crimination.  But  he  was  already  almost 

*  Mr.  Samuel  Gurney  and  Mr.  Joseph  J.  Gurney  several  times  bore  a 
large  part  of  his  election  expenses.  They  insisted  on  doing  this,  being  de- 
termined to  promote  in  every  way,  direct  and  indirect,  the  objects  he  had  at 
heart. 


162  PRESSURE  OF  WORK.  [CHAP.  XT. 

sinking  under  the  weight  of  business,  and  the  anxiety  with  which 
the  whole  case  was  fraught  proved  at  length  more  than  he  could 
bear.  His  health  showed  decided  symptoms  of  giving  way,  and 
his  physician,  Dr.  Farre,  strongly  urged  him  to  have  recourse  to 
rest  and  quiet ;  but  he  was  far  too  deeply  impressed  by  the 
sufferings  of  his  unhappy  clients  to  desert  their  cause  while  a 
particle  of  strength  remained.  In  spite  of  the  feelings  of  illness 
which  rapidly  gained  ground  upon  him,  he  spent  the  week 
previous  to  that  on  which  his  motion  was  to  come  on  in  severe 
and  harassing  labour.  One  of  his  friends  writes  on  Tuesday, 
May  loth,  1827  :— 

"  I  went  to  breakfast  with  Mr.  Buxton,  but  he  was  too  ill  to  come 
down  stairs,  and  Dr.  Farre  was  sent  for.  Presently,  however,  General 
Hall,  Mr.  George  Stephen,  and  Mr.  Byam  arriving,  he  joined  the 
party.  A  large  sheet  of  paper,  full  of  notes,  was  produced,  and  they 
were  soon  immersed  in  business.  He  appeared  much  oppressed  with 

headache,  and  very  languid When  Dr.  Farre  arrived  he  ordered 

leeches,  quiet,  and  total  abstinence  from  business.  I  then  was  about  to 
go,  but  Mr.  Buxton  said  I  must  stay  and  read  to  him,  which  I  did  for 
many  hours.  The  book  was  '  Thompson's  Journey  in  South  Africa.' 
At  night  he  seemed  very  ill." 

As  he  continued  seriously  unwell,  and  business  necessarily 
pressed  upon  him  in  London,  he  removed  on  the  Thursday  after- 
noon to  Ham  House,  whence  he  wrote  the  following  note  to 
Mrs.  Upcher : — 

"  My  dear  Friend, — I  am  far  better,  but  rather  feeble  and  incapable 
of  exertion,  and  somewhat  perplexed  by  the  question, — Ought  I  to 
overwork  myself,  or  underwork  my  slave  cause  ?  My  judgment  is  for 
the  second,  but  my  inclination  for  the  first ;  and  the  result  will  be  that 
I  shall  do  both.  I  am  now  going  to  take  a  ride." 

Ills  prediction  was  but  too  true.  He  spent  the  Saturday  in 
taking  a  general  view  of  the  evidence  which  had  been  collected 
of  the  atrocious  cruelties  practised  upon  the  negroes,  both  in 
their  importation  and  afterwards,  when  they  were  reduced  to 
slavery.  In  the  course  of  that  unhappy  morning  he  v 
completely  overwhelmed  with  anguish  ami  indignation  at  the 
horrors  on  which  he  had  been  dwelling.,  that  he  several  times 
left  his  papers  and  paced  rapidly  up  and  down  the  lawn,  entirely 


1827.J  ALARMING  ILLNESS.  163 

overcome  by  his  feelings,  and  exclaiming  aloud,  "  Oh,  it's   too 
bad,  it's  too  bad  !     I  can't  bear  it." 

The  frightful  result   which  ensued  is  thus  forcibly  described 
by  himself,  some  months  afterwards  : — 

..."  Last  spring  the  whole  force  of  my  mind  and  all  my  faculties 
were  engaged  in  preparing  for  the  Mauritius  question.  I  had  pledged 
myself  to  prove  that  the  slave  trade  had  existed  and  flourished  in  that 
colony,  that  the  state  of  slavery  there  was  pre-eminently  cruel,  and 
that  persons  of  eminence  had  tolerated  these  enormities.  It  is,  I  think, 
but  justice  to  myself  to  admit  that  the  object  was  a  worthy  one ;  that  I 
had  embraced  it  from  a  sense  of  duty ;  that  my  mind  was  imbued  with 
deep  affliction  and  indignation  at  the  wrongs  to  which  the  negro  was 
exposed.  I  spared  no  pains  and  no  sacrifices,  in  order  to  do  justice  to 
my  cause ;  and  the  anxiety  and  labour  which  I  endured  preyed  upon 
my  health.  About  the  middle  of  May  I  went  to  Upton,  in  order  to 
improve  it  by  change  of  air;  but  I  was  then  under  the  pressure  of 
disease,  and  my  physician  described  my  state  by  saying,  '  You  are  on 
fire,  though  you  are  not  in  a  blaze.'  I  concealed  from  others,  I  did  not 
even  admit  to  myself,  the  extent  of  my  indisposition.  I  could  not 
doubt  that  I  felt  ill,  but  I  was  willing  to  suppose  that  these  \\ere 
nervous  feelings,  the  effects  of  fatigue  of  mind,  and  that  they  would 
vanish,  as  they  had  often  done  before,  when  the  exertion  was  at  an  end. 
"  On  Saturday,  May  19th,  I  took  a  survey  of  the  case  of  cruelty  to 
the  negroes,  and  for  two  or  three  hours  I  was  distressed  beyond  measure, 
and  as  much  exasperated  as  distressed,  by  that  scene  of  cruelty  and 
horrid  oppression.  I  never  in  my  life  was  so  much  moved  by  any- 
thing, and  I  was  so  exhausted  by  the  excitement  that  I  could  not  that 
day  renew  my  exertions.  The  next  morning  I  awoke  feeling  very 
unwell.  My  wife  and  the  family  went  to  a  place  of  worship,  and  my 
daughter  remained  with  me ;  I  think,  but  I  have  not  any  clear  recol- 
lections, that  I  told  her  about  12  o'clock  to  send  for  Dr.  Farre.  I 
have  a  vague  idea  of  my  wife's  return,  but  beyond  that  all  is  lost  to  me. 
The  fact  was,  that  I  was  seized  with  a  fit  of  apoplexy,  and  it  was  not 
till  the  following  Wednesday  that  I  showed  any  symptoms  of  recovery. 
I  am  glad  that  the  first  object  I  noticed  was  my  dear  wife.  I  well 
remember  the  expression  of  deep  anxiety  upon  her  countenance,  and  I 
am  sure  I  had  seen  it  before.  To  her  delight  I  spoke  to  her,  and  the 
words  I  used  were  those  that  expressed  my  unbounded  affection  towards 
her.  Thanks  to  her  care,  joined  to  that  of  my  brothers  and  sisters 
and  of  the  medical  attendants,  I  gradually  recovered.  I  remember, 
however,  feeling  some  surprise,  as  well  as  mortification,  at  finding  that 
the  day  fixed  for  my  motion  on  the  Mauritius  had  passed.  Then  came 

M  2 


164  UNEXPECTED  RECOVERY.  [CHAP.  xi. 

the  slow  progress  of  recovery ;  we  went  to  Cromer ;  all  my  pursuits, 
such  at  least  as  required  mental  exertion,  were  given  up,  but  hence 
resulted  some  leisure  for  reflection.  I  was  then  sensible  of  the  sins 
which  I  had  committed,  and  was  deeply  affected  by  the  love  and  mercy 
of  God,  that  he  had  been  pleased  to  spare  my  life,  that  he  had  not 
called  me  suddenly  into  his  presence.  I  hope  and  believe  that  I  have 
not  lost  the  sense  of  his  goodness.  I  never  can  advert  to  this  warning 
without  acknowledging  from  my  heart  that  his  goodness  and  mercy  have 
followed  me  all  the  days  of  my  life.  O  gracious  Father,  grant  that  I 
may  always  retain  a  most  lively  feeling  of  the  indulgence  and  tender 
compassion  which  I  have  experienced  at  thy  hands.  Give  me  repent- 
ance, even  bitter  repentance,  that  I  have  ever  offended  so  gracious  a 
Master,  and  keep  me  from  future  transgression." 

So  deeply  had  the  subject  which  caused  this  alarming  illness 
become  rooted  in  his  mind,  that  almost  his  first  words,  on  re- 
covering full  consciousness,  were  uttered  in  a  decided  tone,  to 
the  effect  that  he  must  get  up  and  go  to  the  House,  to  bring 
forward  his  motion  on  the  Mauritius.  When  told  that  the  day 
was  already  past,  he  would  not  give  credit  to  the  statement  till 
it  was  put  beyond  doubt  by  reference  to  the  newspaper  in  which 
the  proceedings  of  the  House  on  the  evening  in  question  were 
reported. 

Such  was  the  history  of  this  remarkable  check  in  the  very 
midst  of  his  career.  It  need  not  be  said  how  strong  a  sensation 
his  illness  occasioned  both  among  his  immediate  friends  and 
fellow-workers,  and  in  a  wider  circle  also.  His  brothers  and 
sisters  collected  around  him,  his  children  were  sent  for  from  a 
distance,  and  the  strongest  alarm  was  felt  until  his  almost 
unlooked-for  return  to  consciousness. 

"  What  a  change,"  writes  Mr.  Macaulay  on  the  6th  of  June,  "  has 
the  mercy  of  God  to  us  all  produced  !  We  have  almost  ceased  to  inquire 
from  hour  to  hour,  and  day  to  day,  with  breathless  solicitude,  about 
every  little  symptom  that  might  have  occurred.  We  now  hear  only  of 
returning  strength,  of  spirits,  and  of  approaching  convalescence.  Let 
us  not  forget  the  change.  May  God  establish  and  perfect  it !  " 


1827.]        MEDITATIONS— DELIGHT  IN  THE  PSALMS.  1C." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

1827,  1828. 

Meditations  —  Rev.  C.  Simeon  —  Letter  to  Lord  W.  Bentinck  —  Suttee 
abolished —  Mr.  Buxton  removes  to  Northrepps  —  Debate  on  Slavery  — 
Mr.  Buxton's  Reply  —  The  free  People  of  Colour  —  Interview  with  Mr. 
Huskisson  —  Thoughts  on  his  Illness. 

THE  Mauritius  case  was  of  course  dropped  for  the  year.  Mr. 
Buxton  returned  to  Cromer  Hall,  and  for  a  long  time  was 
obliged  to  relinquish  all  sedentary  occupation.  This  interval  of 
unaccustomed  leisure  was  not  thrown  away ;  his  mind,  cut  off 
from  its  usual  employments,  turned  to  reviewing  its  own  state ; 
and  while  removed  from  active  life,  he  was  in  fact  strengthening 
by  reflection  and  prayer  those  principles  from  which  his  actions 
sprang.  Much  larger  portions  of  time  were  given  to  religious 
meditation,  and  to  a  diligent  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  The 
marks  in  his  Bible  attest  his  ready  application  of  the  Word  of 
God  to  his  own  necessities.  Dates  are  placed  against  many 
passages  and  memoranda  of  circumstances  to  which  they  had  been 
particularly  appropriate.  There  also  exists  a  large  portfolio  full 
of  texts,  copied  by  him  and  arranged  under  different  heads.  He 
greatly  delighted  in  the  Psalms;  and  on  one  occasion,  when,  to 
use  his  own  words,  "  some  circumstances  had  arisen  which  in- 
volved him  in  distress  of  mind,"  he  thus  writes  : — • 

"  Finding  comfort  nowhere  else,  I  resorted  to  the  Bible,  and  par- 
ticularly to  the  Psalms  ;  and  truly  can  I  say  with  David,  '  In  my  dis- 
tress I  called  upon  the  Lord,  and  he  delivered  me.'  The  Psalms  are 
beautiful  and  instructive  to  every  man  who  really  studies  them ;  but 
anguish  of  mind  is  necessary  to  enable  us  fully  to  comprehend  and  taste 
the  pathos  and  emphasis  of  their  expressions.  In  David's  descriptions 
of  lii.s  own  anxieties,  I  found  a  most  lively  picture  of  my  own  mind. 
In  his  eloquent  language  I  uttered  my  prayers,  and,  thanks  be  to  God, 
I  wus  also  able  to  use  for  myself  his  songs  of  rejoicing  and  gratitude. 
I  have  spent  some  hours  almost  every  Sunday  over  the  Psalms,  and  I 


166  THOUGHTS  ON  PRAYER.  [CHAP.  xn. 

have  extracted,  under  separate  heads,  David's  prayers — his  assurance 
that  his  prayers  were  heard  and  answered — his  thanksgivings,  &c. ;  and 
I  meditate,  at  some  future  period  of  leisure,  preparing  some  work  for 
publication  on  the  subject. 

"  This  I  may,  I  believe,  say,  that  these  studies  have  had  a  strong, 
and  I  trust  not  a  transient,  effect  upon  my  mind.  I  recur  to  the  Bible 
with  a  pleasure  and  sometimes  with  a  delight  unknown  to  me  before. 
When  I  am  out  of  heart,  I  follow  David's  example,  and  fly  for 
refuge  to  prayer,  and  he  furnishes  me  with  a  store  of  prayer  ;  and  I 
hope  '  I  love  God '  better,  '  because  he  hath  heard  the  voice  of  my  sup- 
plication ;  and  therefore  will  I  call  upon  him  as  long  as  I  live ;'  and  I 
feel  what  the  text  expresses,  which  I  found  in  my  text-book  for  this 
day,  '  The  Lord  is  my  defence,  and  my  God  is  the  rock  of  my  refuge.' 
And  this  lesson  I  have  in  some  degree  learnt,  that  afflictions,  as  we  con- 
sider them,  are  sometimes  the  chief  and  the  choicest  of  mercies." 

When  in  Norfolk  the  woods  were  his  chosen  retreat  for  the 
enjoyment  of  the  "  divine  silence,"  as  he  called  it,  of  the  country. 
He  would  take  his  small  well-marked  Bible,  and  wander  among 
the  trees  reflecting  deeply  on  what  he  read,  and  if  his  retirement 
were  broken  in  upon,  he  would  say  it  was  much  too  soon,  he  had 
not  gone  through  half  his  subjects  of  thought.  Although  he 
never  kept  a  diary,  yet  after  his  illness  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
frequently  committing  his  thoughts  to  paper,  and  a  very  large 
number  of  these  communings  with  his  own  heart  still  remain. 
Many  of  them  are  preparations  for  prayer,  according  to  a  habit 
which  he  thus  mentions  in  one  of  his  papers  about  this  period : — 
*  *  *  * 

"  There  is  a  practice  which  I  have  found  highly  beneficial,  and 
should  any  of  my  children  ever  see  this  memorial,  I  earnestly  advise 
them  to  adopt  it. 

"  I  am  in  the  habit  of  preparing  the  substance  of  my  private  and 
family  prayers.  I  believe  that  we  are  far  too  extempore  in  that  duty  ; 
not  that  I  recommend  any  verbal  preparation,  but  a  meditation  upon  the 
points  on  which  we  wish  to  ask  the  help  of  God.  The  want  of  this 
seems  to  me  to  lead  the  mind  to  wander  about,  and  rather  to  fill  our 
mouths  with  a  train  of  words  to  which  we  are  accustomed  than  our 
hearts  with -a  sense  of  our  necessities.  I,  at  least,  have  found  the  habit 
of  reflecting  on  what  I  shall  ask  for,  before  I  venture  to  ask,  highly 
serviceable. 

"  I  am  bound  to  acknowledge  that  I  have  always  found  that  my 
prayers  have  been  heard  and  answered — not  that  I  have  in  every  in- 


1827.]  ON  THANKFULNESS.  167 

stance  (though  in  almost  every  instance  I  have)  received  what  I  asked 
for,  nor  do  I  expect  or  wish  it.  I  always  qualify  my  petitions  by  add- 
ing, provided  that  what  I  ask  for  is  for  my  real  good  and  according  to 
the  will  of  my  Lord.  But  with  this  qualification  I  feel  at  liberty  to 
submit  my  wants  and  wishes  to  God  in  small  things  as  well  as  in  great ; 
and  I  am  inclined  to  imagine  that  there  are  no  '  little  things'  with  Him. 
We  see  that  his  attention  is  as  much  bestowed  upon  what  we  call  trifles, 
as  upon  those  things  which  we  consider  of  mighty  importance.  His 
hand  is  as  manifest  in  the  feathers  of  a  butterfly's  wing,  in  the  eye  of  an 
insect,  in  the  folding  and  packing  of  a  blossom,*  in  the  curious  aqueducts 
by  which  a  leaf  is  nourished,  as  in  the  creation  of  a  world  and  in  the 
laws  by  which  the  planets  move. 

"  To  our  limited  powers  some  things  appear  great  and  some  incon- 
siderable; but  He,  infinite  in  all  things,  can  lavish  His  power  and  his 
wisdom  upon  every  part  of  his  creation.  Hence  I  feel  permitted  to 
offer  up  my  prayers  for  everything  that  concerns  me.  I  understand 
literally  the  injunction,  '  Be  careful  for  nothing,  but  in  everything — 
make  your  requests  known  unto  God ;'  and  I  cannot  but  notice  how 
amply  these  prayers  have  been  met.  Grant  then,  O  Lord,  that  I  may 
never  fail  to  pour  forth  all  my  burthens,  cares,  wishes,  wants,  before  thy 
throne,  that  I  may  love  to  seek  thy  help." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTOX. 

"  Hampstead,  July  25,  1827. 

"  It  is  now  a  little  past  7  o'clock,  and  as  I  am  up  according  to  my 
new  fashion,  I  will  tell  you  that  I  spent  a  very  pleasant  afternoon  with 
Tacy,  and  much  liked  his  location.  He  went  with  mo  to  Dereham  the 
next  morning,  and  I  had  a  nice  journey  up,  reading  all  the  way.  *  *  * 
And  now  I  must  tell  you,  that  reviewing  the  events  of  the  last  few 
weeks  there  are  two  feelings  which  rise  up  in  my  mind  with  peculiar 
force.  First,  gratitude  to  Him  who  has  dealt  with  me  with  so  much 
true  mercy.  I  think  I  have  some  feelings  of  real  thankfulness.  I  see 
so  plainly  the  hand  of  God  in  what  has  recently  occurred,  and  so 
plainly  do  I  discern  in  them  that  he  is  indeed  long  suffering  and  plen- 
teous in  mercy,  that  some  degree  of  warm  and  lively  gratitude  springs 
up  in  my  mind.  *  *  *  This  is  my  first  feeling,  but  another  has  also 
been  my  companion.  I  mean  a  flow  of  love  and  tenderness  towards  my 
family.  *  *  *  I  think  my  illness  has  really  tended  to  strengthen  the 


*  He  continually  pointed  out  the  packing  of  buds  and  leaves  as  beautiful 
proofs  of  the  Diviue  wisdom  and  goodness ;  so  that  Mrs.  Hoare's  children 
used  to  call  the  early  spring  buds  "  Uucle  Buxton's  sermons." 


168  MR.  SIMEON.  [CHAP.  xir. 

bonds  of  family  affection,  and  that  is  no  little  blessing.     And  now  I 
must  stop  to  read  a  few  verses  in  the  Bible." 

During  a  visit  to  Earlham  this  autumn,  in  the  company  of  the 
Rev.  Charles  Simeon,  Mr.  Buxton  one  day  persisted  in  going 
out  shooting,  instead  of  accompanying  his  friend  to  a  meeting  of 
the  Jews'  Society  in  Norwich.  Mr.  Simeon  was  a  little  hurt  by 
this ;  but  receiving  not  long  afterwards  a  parcel  of  game,  he 
wrote  Mr.  Buxton  the  following  characteristic  letter. 

"  King's  College,  Cambridge,  October  16,  1827. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — A  kind  present  of  game  demands  my  grateful 
acknowledgments,  which  with  much  pleasure  I  send  you.  But  the  precise 
time  of  its  arrival  necessarily  excites  in  my  mind  some  reflections. 
What !  is  my  beloved  friend  conscious  that  in  withstanding  all  my  ex- 
temporaneous oratory  he  has  humbled  me, — and  does  he  send  me  this  as 
a  peace-offering  ?  That  I  have  sighed  it  is  true ;  that  thoughts  have 
arisen  in  my  mind  of  somewhat  a  painful  nature,  is  true.  And  I  will 
tell  you  what  they  were  : — 

"I.I  have  deeply  sympathised  with  him  and  his  beloved  relatives  in 
his  affliction.* 

"  2.  My  beloved  friend  has  prayed  with  that  dear  departed  saint, 
and  therefore  has  doubtless  his  own  soul,  perhaps  in  consequence  of  his 
own  affliction,  in  a  devout  state. 

"  3.  My  union  with  that  whole  family  is  near  akin  to  the  union  of 
the  saints  in  heaven,  and  my  soul  in  consequence  of  dear  Rachel's  ex- 
perience being  read  to  me  had  been  so  in  heaven,  that  I  actually  felt  it 
a  condescension  to  come  down  and  dine  with  the  party,  even  though 
they  had  all  been  dukes  and  duchesses.  Peter  on  Tabor  was  scarcely 
more  averse  to  descend  than  I. 

"  On  these  grounds  I  thought  that  an  act  of  condescension  and  self- 
denial  on  your  part,  if  self-denial  it  was,  might  have  been  not  unsea- 
sonable. But  I  checked  and  condemned  myself,  and  said,  What !  shall 
I  wish  my  beloved  friend  to  serve  and  honour  God  for  my  sake  ?  No ! 
if  he  will  show  kindness  to  me  for  the  Lord's  sake,  I  will  accept  it  as 
the  most  grateful  offering  in  the  world ;  but  to  serve  the  Lord  for  my 
sake  would  be  productive  of  nothing  but  grief  and  shame  to  my  soul. 

"  Now,  my  clear  friend,  you  see  you  have  shot  me  flying,  and  pene- 
trated my  heart,  and  let  out,  not  ill  blood,  (there  is  none  of  that  I  assure 
you,)  but  the  stream  of  love,  which  was  pent  up  there.  And  to  show 


*  This  refers  to  the  death  of  his  sister-in-law,  Rachel  Gurney.     See 
Memoir  of  Elizabeth  Fry,  vol.  ii.  p.  55. 


LETTER  TO  LOED  W.  BENTINCK.  169 

that  you  arc  pleased  with  your  success,  you  shall,  if  convenient  to  you, 
send  me  a  little  more  game  to  be  dressed  on  Oct.  30,  when  I  shall  have 
a  large  party  of  Jews  (friends  of  that  despised  people)  to  dine  with  me; 
and  this  will  show  you  in  what  spirit  I  write,  and  with  what  cordiality 
and  affection  I  am 

"  Yours, 

"  CHARLES  SIMEON." 

About  this  time,  Mr.  Buxton  heard,  to  his  great  satisfaction, 
that  Lord  William  Bentinck  was  appointed  Governor-general  of 
India,  and  immediately  went  up  to  town  to  discuss  with  him  the 
subject  of  Suttee,  and  to  urge  him  to  employ  his  authority  for 
the  abolition  of  that  atrocious  practice.  A  short  time  afterwards 
he  addressed  the  following  letter  to  him  : — 

"Cromer  Hall,  October  22,  1827. 

"  My  dear  Lord, — The  short  interview  which  I  had  with  you  lately 
has  been  to  me  a  matter  of  sincere  gratification.  I  now  feel  that  I  can 
leave  in  your  hand  the  question,  whether  the  British  Government  ought, 
or  ought  not,  to  tolerate  the  annual  sacrifice  of  several  hundred  females ; 
and  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  you  will  do  everything 
which  ought  to  be  done.  When  Mr.  Canning  was  going  to  India,  I 
ventured  to  trouble  him  on  the  business  :  his  answer  was  the  same  as  I 
received  from  you.  He  assured  me,  that  the  subject  should  engage  his 
most  serious  attention,  and  that  what  he  could  do  should  be  done.  I 
have  always  lamented  that  he  did  not  go  to  India,  from  a  conviction  that 
his  great  mind  would  have  been  ill  at  ease,  while  such  horrid  customs 
as  Suttee  and  infanticide  prevailed.  Forgive  me  for  saying,  that  I  feel 
the  same  confidence  in  your  Lordship  as  I  did  in  Mr.  Canning.  I  en- 
close you  a  copy  of  a  letter  I  received  from  Lord  Hastings.  I  applied 
to  him,  in  consequence  of  hearing  from  a  friend  of  mine  (the  Rev.  Mr. 
Glover  of  this  county),  that  he  said  '  he  should  have  abolished  the  prac- 
tice of  Suttee,  if  he  had  remained  in  India  another  year.'  In  the  letter 
he  says,  '  he  would  have  suppressed  it,  if  he  had  been  sure  of  support  at 
home.'  Happily,  there  is  not  the  same  doubt  now  as  to  support  at 
home.  In  March  last,  Mr.  Poynder  moved  a  resolution  at  the  Court  of 
Proprietors,  declaring  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  paternal  government  to 
interfere  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  human  life.  Some  opposition 
was  made ;  but  the  general  feeling  was  too  strong  to  be  resisted,  and  it 
was  carried  by  a  great  majority,  the  minority  being  only  five  or  six.  I  ven- 
ture to  send  you  the  report  of  that  debate,  and  also  a  publication  called 
the  '  Friend  of  India,'  in  which  there  are  some  valuable  papers  on  the 
subject,  written,  I  believe,  by  Dr.  Marshman  of  Serampore.  With 


170  HE  REMOVES  TO  NORTHREPPS.  [CHAP.  XH. 

every  wish  that  you  and  Lady  William  may  return  in  safety  from  India, 
and  that  millions  may  have  reason  to  rejoice  that  you  went  there,  I  have 
the  honour,"  &c. 

It  is  well  known  that,  soon  after  Lord  William  Bentinck 
reached  India,  he  abolished  the  practice  of  Suttee  at  a  single 
blow.  Mr.  Buxton  hailed  the  news  with  delight  and  thankful- 
ness. The  evil  had  indeed  been  extirpated  by  the  hand  of 
another ;  but  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  no  oppor- 
tunity had  been  wasted  by  him  of  forwarding  that  happy  event. 

In  the  course  of  this  winter,  Mr.  Buxton  was  obliged,  with 
much  regret,  to  leave  Cromer  Hall ;  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Wynd- 
ham,  having  determined  to  replace  it  by  a  new  mansion  for  his 
own  residence.  There  was  no  house  equally  suitable  near 
Cromer ;  but  being  much  attached  to  the  neighbourhood  and 
very  unwilling  to  leave  it,  he  gladly  accepted  Mr.  R.  H. 
Gurney's  offer  of  Northrepps  Hall,  which,  although  smaller  than 
his  last  place  of  abode,  yet  possessed  many  points  of  attraction  ; 
especially,  that  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  lived  his  sister  Miss 
S.  M.  Buxton,  and  his  cousin  Miss  Gurney. 

Northrepps  Cottage,  the  residence  of  these  ladies,  stands  in  a 
deep  secluded  dell,  opening  on  the  fishing  village  of  Overstrand 
and  the  German  Ocean.  The  path  to  it  from  the  Hall  lies 
through  the  woods ;  and  thither  he  always  turned  his  steps  when 
his  spirits  needed  to  be  enlivened,  or  his  anxieties  shared  ;  well 
knowing  that  his  presence  would  ever  be  hailed  with  eager 
delight. 

He  was  scarcely  settled  at  Northrepps,  when  he  was  called  to 
London  to  resume  his  parliamentary  labours,  which  had  been  so 
unfortunately  cut  short  in  the  preceding  year.  His  still  very 
uncertain  health  made  the  prospect  of  recommencing  work  an 
anxious  one  ;  and  he  appeared  quite  unable  to  resume  his  attack 
on  the  Mauritius  slave  trade.  "  It  is  a  problem  to  me,"  he  said, 
"  what  I  shall  do  this  session,  and  what  will  happen  ;"  adding. 
;i  however,  perhaps  I  shall  outlive  you  all.  I  should  not  wonder, 
if  I  do  not  overwork  myself." 

His  exertions  were  first  called  for  on  behalf  of  the  West  Indies. 
The  year  of  probation  granted  by  Mr.  Canning  to  the  colonial 
assemblies  had  now  more  than  expired ;  and  they  had  done 


1828.]  DEBATE  ON  SLAVERY.  171 

nothing1  towards  the  mitigation  of  slavery.  Of  the  eight  bills 
recommended  for  their  adoption  by  Mr.  Canning,  not  one.  had 
been  accepted  by  any  colony,  except  Nevis.  But  the  Govern- 
ment were  not  yet  discouraged;  they  were  still  anxious  to  per- 
suade, rather  than  to  compel.  Nor  could  they  be  blamed  for 
trying  every  method  of  suasion,  before  resorting  to  force.  The 
right  of  the  mother  country  to  legislate  directly  for  her  colonies 
had,  in  one  great  instance,  been  successfully  defied.  It  might, 
therefore,  have  been  no  wise  policy  to  attempt  coercion,  till  all 
gentler  methods  had  been  tried  in  vain.  Accordingly,  in  1828, 
Sir  George  Murray,  as  a  last  experiment,  despatched  circular 
letters  to  all  the  colonial  assemblies,  once  more  urging  them,  in 
strong  terms,  to  effect  for  themselves  the  required  improvement 
in  the  condition  of  their  slaves.  Most  truly  did  Mr.  Stanley 
state  in  his  speech  on  the  14th  of  May,  1833,  that  it  was  not 
"  till  all  means  had  been  exhausted  ;  till  every  suggestion  had 
been  made ;  till  every  warning  had  been  given  ;  and  had  not 
only  been  given  in  vain,  but  had  been  met  by  the  colonial  legis- 
latures with  the  most  determined  opposition  ;  that  England  took 
the  work  of  reconstructing  West  Indian  society  into  her  own 
hands."  These  circular  letters  were  "  entirely  disregarded." 

Had  Mr.  Buxton  been  in  vigorous  health,  he  would  certainly 
have  done  what  he  could  to  obtain  bolder  measures  from  the 
Government,  but  his  bodily  powers  failed  him. 

On  the  6th  of  March  Mr.  Wilmot  Horton  brought  forward  a 
motion  for  the  publication  of  some  minutes  relative  "  to  the 
Demerara  and  Berbice  Manumission  Order  in  Council,"  to  prove 
the  desirableness  of  its  not  being  enforced.* 

Mr.  Buxton  had  brought  together  some  documents  from  which 
to  answer  Mr.  Wilmot  Horton ;  but  he  became  so  unwell  that 
he  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  attempt  to  peruse  them,  and  went 
down  to  the  House  of  Commons  without  any  intention  of  speak- 
ing. To  his  dismay  he  found,  on  reaching  the  House,  that  Mr. 
William  Smith  was  the  only  abolitionist  present  beside  himself. 
Mr.  Wilmot  Horton's  opening  speech  was  extremely  able,  and 
was  listened  to  by  Mr.  Buxton  with  feelings  of  real  distress, 
while  he  looked  in  vain  towards  the  door  of  the  House,  in  the 

*  Hansard  for  that  date. 


172  MR.  BUXTON'S  EEPLY.  [CHAP.  xii. 

hope  that  Mr.  Brougham  or  Dr.  Lushington  might  come  to  the 
rescue. 

At  length  a  bitter  tirade  against  the  Abolitionists  from  one  of 
their  opponents  stung  him  to  the  quick ;  and  he  rose  to  reply, 
beginning  with  a  somewhat  severe  comment  "  on  the  acrimonious 

speech  of  the  hon.  member  for  C ,  who,  after  a  long  lecture 

on  command  of  temper  and  control  of  tongue,  has  ended," 
he  said,  "  by  charging  us  with  exaggeration,  misrepresentation, 
quackery,  and  nonsense." 

"  I  must  confess,  however,  that  he  has  sneered  at  us  in  very  good 
company :  the  rights  of  man  and  the  laws  of  God  were  equally  visited 
by  his  sarcasm.  Now,  I  defy  him  to  prove  any  one  instance  of  misre- 
presentation. I  challenge  him  to  abstain  from  general  condemnation, 
and  to  put  his  finger  upon  that  particular  in  which  we  have  deceived 
the  country.  I  will  do  so  with  regard  to  him — I  will  mark  out  those 
particulars  in  which  he  himself  has  been  guilty  of  misrepresentation." 

He  then  went  through  the  common  assertions  of  the  West 
Indians — they  had  denied  the  existence  of  flogging ;  of  Sunday 
markets  ;  of  obstacles  to  manumission  ;  he  proved,  and  from  the 
evidence  of  the  West  Indians  themselves,  that  these  did  exist.  His 
opponents  were  for  ever  dwelling  on  the  happiness  and  comfort 
of  their  slaves, — 

"  But  how  comes  it,"  he  asked,  "  that  these  happiest  of  the  happy 
decrease  at  a  rate  entirely  unequalled  in  the  history  of  man  ?  *  *  * 
The  hon.  member  has  indignantly  censured  my  hon.  friend  (Mr.  W. 
Smith)  for  introducing  the  phrases  '  rights  of  men  and  laws  of  God  ;' 
and  I  do  not  wonder  that  he  is  somewhat  provoked  at  these  obnoxious 
expressions ;  for  one  cannot  think  of  slavery  without  perceiving  that  it 
is  an  usurpation  of  the  one  and  a  violation  of  the  other.  The  right  hon. 
gentleman,  the  mover  of  this  motion,  tells  us  that  no  one  can  reconcile 
the  promise  we  have  given  for  the  extinction  of  slavery  with  the  promise 
which  we  have  also  given  for  a  due  consideration  of  the  rights  of  the 
parties  interested.  We  are  reduced  to  the  alternative,  he  tells  us,  of 
sacrificing  the  planter  to  the  interests  of  the  slave,  or  the  slave  to  the 
interests  of  the  planter.  If  we  are  in  that  predicament,  and  must  decide 
for  the  one  or  the  other,  my  judgment  is  unequivocally  in  favour  of  the 
slave.  And  it  is  a  consideration  of  the  '  rights  of  man,  and  the  laws  of 
God  '  which  leads  me  to  that  unequivocal  decision." 


1828.]  THE  FREE  PEOPLE  OF  COLOUR.  173 

He  concludes  in  these  words  : — 

"  I  would  give  the  negro  all  that  I  could  give  him  with  security ;  I 
would  do  every  possible  thing  to  mitigate  and  sweeten  his  lot ;  and  to 
his  children  I  would  give  unqualified  emancipation.  Having  done  this, 
I  would  settle  with  the  planters.  I  am  a  friend  to  compensation — but 
it  is  compensation  on  the  broadest  scale.  *  *  *  Do  you  ask  com- 
pensation tor  him  who  has  wioldcd  the  whip  ?  Then  I  ask  compensa- 
tion for  him  who  has  smarted  under  its  lash  ! — Do  you  ask  compensation 
for  loss  of  property,  contingent  and  future?  Then  I  ask  compensation 
for  unnumbered  wrongs,  the  very  least  of  which  is  the  incapacity  of 
possessing  any  property  whatever.  If  compensation  be  demanded,  we 
re-echo  the  demand.  It  is  that  which  we  most  fervently  desire  ;  only 
let  it  be  just  compensation,  dealt  out  for  the  many  who  have  suffered, 
and  not  confined  to  the  few  who  may  suffer  in  one  particular." 

One  of  his  friends  writes  to  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney  : — 

"  The  whole  House  was  carried  along  by  his  earnestness,  cheered 
him  vehemently,  and  listened  attentively.  He  was  much  congratulated 
on  the  success  of  his  reply." 

Little  more  could  be  done  towards  advancing  the  Anti-slavery 
question  during  this  session.  Mr.  Brougham,  who  had  intended  to 
bring  it  forward,  was  prevented  from  doing  so  by  ill  health  ;  and 
Dr.  Lushington's  duties  were  too  onerous  to  permit  of  his  carry- 
ing on  the  struggle  single-handed  ;  but  during  the  last  year  he 
and  Mr.  Brougham  had  been  engaged  in  their  arduous  contest 
on  behalf  of  the  free  people  of  colour  in  the  West  Indies,  endea- 
vouring to  rescue  them  from  their  painful  and  humiliating  posi- 
tion. Dr.  Lushington  wrote  in  November,  1827, 

"  I  send  you  sundry  letters  and  documents  from  Wilmot  Horton,  and 
by  his  desire.  We  have  had  warm  work  since  you  left  London,  and  it 
seems  likely  to  continue ;  however,  I  am  in  high  spirits.  We  have 
Brougham  in  full  energy,  strength,  and  determination,  and  we  have  a 
case  in  all  points  impregnable.  Would  I  had  more  leisure !  for  my 
appetite  is  whetted  by  all  the  follies  and  iniquities  of  the  planters." 

At  length,  in  the  session  of  1828,  Dr.  Lushington's  exertions 
in  behalf  of  the  free  people  of  colour  were  crowned  with  com- 
plete success.  An  Order  in  Council  was  issued,  by  which  they 
were  at  once  placed  on  the  same  footing  in  every  respect  as  their 


174  INTERVIEW  WITH  MR.  HUSKISSON.        [CHAP.  xn. 

white  fellow-citizens :  a  measure  fraught  with  momentous  conse- 
quences to  the  welfare  of  the  West  Indies. 

On  the  20th  of  March,  Mr.  Buxton  had  an  interview  with 
Mr.  Iluskisson.  He  offered  to  put  Government  into  possession 
of  all  his  documents  and  evidence  respecting  the  slave  trade  at 
the  Mauritius,  if  they  would  go  on  with  the  inquiry,  as  he  was 
unable  to  do  so,  and  he  strongly  urged  them  to  take  it  up.  Mr. 
Iluskisson  replied  that  they  would  consider  about  it,  and  desired 
that  documents  relating  to  the  cruel  usage  of  the  slaves  should  be 
sent  to  him.  He  also  assured  Mr.  Buxton  that  the  trade  was 
now  stopped,  that  the  registry  was  enforced,  and  that  some 
Orders  in  Council  would  be  sent  out  and  put  into  operation. 

No  other  steps  were  at  present  taken  by  the  Government ; 
they  had  previously  sent  out  a  commission  of  inquiry,  and  fur- 
ther measures  were  deferred  till  its  report  should  have  been 
received. 

Mr.  Buxton  writes  in  a  paper  dated  Sunday,  the  25th  May, 
1828  :— 

"  I  keep  this  as  the  anniversary  of  my  illness,  which  began  on  Sun- 
day, May  20th,  1827  ;  and  I  must  not  let  the  day  pass  without  return- 
ing my  solemn  and  fervent  thanks  to  thee,  my  God,  for  that  most 
gracious  visitation,  coupled  with  solemn  and  fervent  prayers  that  I  may 
never  lose  the  benefit  which  this  visitation  was  sent  to  confer.  I  thank 
thee,  O  Lord,  that  thou  wast  pleased  to  administer  thai  sharp  antidote. 
None  other  perhaps  would  have  been  effectual.  I  was  within  the  jaws 
of  death,  and  was  I  fit  to  die  ?  Was  I  prepared  to  encounter  the 
presence  of  my  Maker  ?  How  do  my  sins  marshal  themselves  in  order 
under  such  a  question  ?  Again  I  thank  thee,  O  Lord,  that  thou  didst 
deliver  me,  and  I  can  use  the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  (Psalm  ciii.  four 
first  verses,)  with  some  emphasis  and  some  application  to  myself.  There 
is  not  a  clause  in  these  verses  which  is  not  my  own.  My  disease  was 
healed,  my  iniquity  was  pardoned,  my  life,  natural  and  spiritual,  had  a 
Redeemer,  and  loving  kindness  and  tender  mercy  was  that  which  I,  a 
sinner,  received  at  the  hands  of  God;  and  therefore  my  cry  unto  tlu-c 
is  that  thou  wouldst  give  me  such  a  deep  sense  of  tliv  mercy,  such  a 
sense  or  rather  vision  of  thy  goodness,  that  I  may  love  thee  \\idi  all 
my  heart,  and  all  my  mind,  and  all  my  strength ;  and  therefore  I  pray 
that  I  may  remember  my  latter  end,  the  approaching  day  of  judgment, 
and  prepare  to  meet  it." 


1828.]  THE  HOTTENTOTS— DR.  PHILIP.  171 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

1828,  1829. 

The  Hottentots  —  Dr.  Philip  —  Van  Riebech's  Regrets  —  Miseries  of  the 
Hottentots  —  Dr.  Philip's  Researches  —  Mr.  Buxton's  Motion  —  The 
Government  acquiesces  —  Letter  from  Dr.  Philip  —  The  Order  in  Council 
sent  out — Letter  to  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney  —  The  Hottentots  set  free  — 
Alarms  die  away  —  Happy  Result  —  The  Kat  River  Settlement. 

ALTHOUGH  unable  to  take  much  part  in  public  affairs  during 
this  session,  yet,  at  the  instance  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Philip  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Mr.  Buxton  made  an  effort  in  behalf  of  the 
Hottentots,  which  was  crowned  with  easy  and  complete  success. 

Eight  years  before,  Dr.  Philip  had  been  sent  out  by  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  on  a  deputation  appointed  to  inquire 
into  the  state  of  their  missions  in  South  Africa.  In  the  course 
of  these  investigations  he  had  become  acquainted  with  the  griev- 
ous state  of  degradation  in  which  the  Hottentots  were  held  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  colony,  and  especially  by  the  Dutch  boors. 
One  hundred  and  seventy  years  before,  they  had  been  the  undis- 
turbed possessors  of  that  fertile  tract  of  country  which  is  now 
comprehended  under  the  name  of  the  "Cape  Colony."  In  1652 
the  first  Dutch  settlement  was  formed,  and  the  curse  of  Christian 
neighbours  fell  upon  the  hapless  owners  of  the  land. 

The  first  germ  of  the  treatment  they  met  with  may  be  seen  in 
the  following  extracts  from  the  journal  of  Van  Riebech,  the 
Dutch  governor. 

"  December  13,  1652. 

"To-day  the  Hottentots  came  with  thousands  of  cattle  and  sheep 
close  to  our  fort,  so  that  their  cattle  nearly  mixed  with  ours.  We  feel 
vexed  to  see  so  many  fine  head  of  cattle,  and  not  to  be  able  to  buy  to 
any  considerable  extent.  If  it  had  been  indeed  allowed,  we  had  oppor- 
tunity to-day  to  deprive  them  of  10,000  head,  which,  however,  if  \\c 
obtain  orders  to  that  effect,  can  be  done  at  any  time,  and  even  more 
conveniently,  because  they  will  have  greater  confidence  in  us.  With 


176  DR.  PHILIP'S  RESEARCHES.  [CHAP.  xm. 

150  men,  10,000  or  11,000  head  of  black  cattle  might  be  obtained 
without  danger  of  losing  one  man  :  and  many  savages  might  be  taken 
without  resistance,  in  order  to  be  sent  as  slaves  to  India,  as  they  still 
always  come  to  us  unarmed." 

A  day  or  two  later  we  find  him  "  wondering  at  the  ways  of 
Providence,  which  permitted  such  noble  animals  to  remain  in  the 
possession  of  heathens."  It  was  not  long  before  he  thought  it 
best  to  thwart  the  ways  of  Providence  instead  of  wondering  at 
them ;  and  the  system  which  he  began  was  carried  out  by  the 
Dutch,  and  afterwards  by  the  English,  until  the  Hottentots 
had  sunk  to  the  lowest  depths  of  misery.  Nothing  can  be 
more  painful  than  the  accounts  given  of  them  at  the  time  of 
Dr.  Philip's  first  visit  to  the  Cape.  They  were  not  like  the 
negro  slaves,  the  legal  property  of  certain  individuals ;  they 
were  at  the  mercy  of  all  who  chose  to  oppress  them  and  compel 
their  services :  not  even  possessing  that  degree  of  protection 
which  the  hateful  system  of  slave  ownership  affords.  Their 
tribes  were  public  property,  and  any  one  might  seize  as  many  of 
them  as  he  pleased  for  his  private  use.  Their  rich  lands  and  vast 
herds  of  cattle  had  long  since  become  the  spoiler's  prey.  At  the 
caprice  of  the  Dutch  boors  they  were  subjected  to  the  heaviest 
labours,  to  every  species  of  harassing  annoyance,  to  every  kind  of 
revolting  punishment.  Beneath  this  grinding  misery  their  num- 
bers had  dwindled,  their  persons  had  become  dwarfed,  and  their 
minds  brutalized,  till  the  very  negro  slaves  looked  down  on  them 
as  lower  and  baser  drudges,  far  below  the  level  of  mankind. 

In  1822  Dr.  Philip  returned  for  a  short  time  to  England,  and 
communicated  this  information  to  Mr.  "\Vilberforce,  Dr.  Lush- 
ington,  and  Mr.  Buxton,  who  agreed  that  the  former  should 
move  in  the  House  for  a  commission  of  inquiry  to  proceed  to  the 
Cape ;  as  also  to  the  Mauritius,  and  to  Ceylon  :  this  was  accord- 
ingly done,  and  in  1824  we  find  Mr.  Buxton  moving  for  the 
reports  received  from  these  commissioners  ;  which  afforded  some 
information  of  value.  In  1826  Dr.  Philip  again  came  back  to 
England,  and  after  a  time  published  his  '  Researches  in  South 
Africa,'  which  excited  much  attention,  and  he  urged  Mr.  Buxton 
to  bring  the  case  of  the  Hottentots  before  Parliament.  Although 
feeling  great  interest  in  the  subject,  Mr.  Buxton  was  too  deeply 
engrossed  by  the  Mauritius  question  to  turn  aside  at  that  time. 


1828.]  MR.  BUXTON'S  MOTION.  177 

Tn  1828,  however,  he  was  able  to  make  himself  master  of  the 
subject,  and  gave  notice  of  a  motion  for  an  address  to  the  King 
on  behalf  of  the  natives  of  South  Africa. 
He  writes,  July  1828,— 

"  I  have  not  yet  determined  what  I  shall  say  about  the  Hottentots.  I 
shall  take  as  the  foundation  of  my  argument  their  legal  freedom,  prove 
that  they  arc  practically  slaves,  and  demand  that  we  act  up  to  our 
engagement  and  make  them  free;  but  it  is  doubtful  if  I  shall  speak. 
Government  will  probably  give  way  to  my  motion,  on  condition  that  I 
abstain  from  speaking.  Terms  not  to  be  rejected  I  think." 

To  this  compromise  the  Government  agreed.  Mr.  Buxton 
brought  forward  his  motion  without  a  single  comment ;  and  Sir 
George  Murray  (Secretary  for  the  Colonies)  then  rose,  and 
briefly  expressed  the  concurrence  of  the  Government.  The 
address  was  unanimously  agreed  to,  and  the  Hottentots  were 
free !  Mr.  Buxton  walked  up  to  Dr.  Philip,  after  the  motion 
had  been  carried,  and  said,  "  Ah,  these  men  do  not  know  the 
good  they  have  done  !" 

In  a  hasty  note  to  Mrs.  Upcher,  he  thus  announced  the 
triumph : — 

"July  17,  1828. 

"  I  have  only  time  to  say,  that  we  have  recorded  a  resolution  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  with  regard  to  the  Hottentots,  which  is  their 
Magna  Charta;  and  which  will  spread  liberty,  and,  with  liberty,  a  thou- 
sand other  blessings  over  that  great  and  growing  territory." 

THE  REV.  DR.  PHILIP  TO  T.  F.  BUXTON,  ESQ. 

"  July  1C,  1828. 

"  My  dear  Sir, — The  more  I  reflect  upon  the  decision  of  Parliament 
on  Tuesday  evening,  the  more  I  am  struck  with  its  importance.  It  is 
intimately  connected  with  all  the  great  questions  now  before  the  public, 
which  have  for  their  object  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  coloured 
population  in  every  region  of  the  globe  ;  it  is  one  of  the  principal  stones 
in  the  foundation  of  that  temple  which  Mr.  Wilberforce  has  been  so 
long  labouring  to  rear,  for  the  protection  of  the  oppressed  ;  and  it  has 
giu'n  a  strength  and  an  elevation  to  the  building,  which  will  render  the 
whole  more  secure,  and  its  future  progress  more  easy.  I  wish  you  could 
be  present  at  our  missionary  stations  when  the  glad  tidings  shall  be  an- 
nounced  ;  you  would  see  many  a  sparkling  eye,  many  a  cheek  furrowed 

N 


178  ORDER  IN  COUNCIL.         .  [CHAP.  xm. 

with  tears  of  joy,  and  hear  jour  name  associated  with  many  a  thanks- 
giving to  God  for  this  unexpected  deliverance." 

It  was  a  singular  coincidence  that,  only  two  days  after  this 
motion  had  passed  in  Parliament,  Major  General  Bourke,  the 
just  and  humane  Governor  of  the  Cape,  promulgated  an  ordi- 
nance (well  known  afterwards  as  the  Fiftieth  ordinance),  by 
which  the  Hottentots  were  placed  on  the  same  footing  as  the  other 
inhabitants  of  the  colony.  As  soon  as  Sir  George  Murray  heard 
of  this  step,  an  Order  in  Council  was  issued  (January  15,  1829), 
ratifying  the  ordinance,  and,  moreover,  prohibiting  any  future 
alteration  of  it  by  any  colonial  authority.  When  Mr.  Buxton, 
who  had  spent  the  autumn  and  winter  at  Northrepps,  came  back 
to  London  for  the  session  of  1829,  he  found  the  business  thus 
happily  concluded. 

He  sent  this  intelligence  to  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney  ;  but  begins  his 
letter  by  alluding  to  the  excitement  which  prevailed  on  account 
of  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  expressed  intention  to  take  into 
consideration  the  removal  of  the  Catholic  disabilities. 

"  February  9,  1829. 

"We  had  a  slave  meeting  at  Brougham's  yesterday  ;  and  S.  Gurney 
would  go  with  me,  to  prevent  them  from  putting  too  much  upon  me. 
Brougham,  Mackintosh,  Denman,  Spring  Rice,  Wm.  Smith,  Macaulay, 
were  the  party.  They  were  all  in  the  highest  glee  about  the  Catholics  ; 
Brougham  particularly.  They  seemed  exquisitely  delighted  with  the 
vexation  of  the  Tories,  who  are,  and  have  reason  to  be,  they  say,  bitterly 
affronted ;  and  the  great  ones  among  them  vow  they  will  have  an  apo- 
logy, in  the  shape  of  some  good  place,  or  they  will  never  forgive  the 
Duke  for  letting  them  go  down  to  the  House  as  strong  Protestants,  and 
insisting  upon  their  returning  that  very  day,  stout  Catholics !  They 
say  they  do  not  mind  changing  their  opinions, — that  is  a  duty  which 
they  must  sometimes  pay  to  their  chiefs, — but  they  think  it  hard  to  be 
obliged  to  turn  light-about-face  at  the  word  of  command,  without  a  mo- 
ment being  given  to  change  their  convictions. 

"  The  Duke  is  very  peremptory.  The  story  goes,  that  he  said  to 

Mr. ,  who  has  a  place  under  Government,  '  We  have  settled  the 

matter,  and  hope  you  like  it.'  Mr. said  he  would  take  time  to 

consider  it.  'Oh  yes!  you  shall  have  plenty  of  time;  I  don't  want 
your  answer  before  four  o'clock  to-day.  I  shall  thank  you  for  it  then  ; 
for,  if  yon  don't  like  our  measures,  we  must  have  your  office  and  scat  for 
somebody  else.' 


1829.]  THE  HOTTENTOTS  SET  FREE.  179 

"  To-morrow  we  ore  to  have  a  fierce  debate.  The  high  church  party 
are  very  furious,  and  talk  of  calling  upon  the  country,  and  I  expect  we 
shall  have  a  good  deal  of  bitterness. 

"  As  to  slavery,  we  determined  not  to  fix  our  plans  for  a  week,  in 
order  to  see  the  turn  this  Catholic  business  is  likely  to  take,  for  the 
House  will  hear  nothing  else  now,  but  we  are  to  have  a  day  fixed  for 
Brougham's  motion  before  Easter.  He  wanted  me  to  begin  on  the 
Mauritius  ;  but  I  said,  '  No  !  if  they  are  not  in  a  temper  to  hear  you,  1 
am  sure  they  will  not  hear  me.' 

"  Spring  Rice  said  that  he  had  seen  General  Bourke,  late  governor  of 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  who  tells  him  that  Government  have  sent  out 
an  Order  in  Council,  giving  entire  emancipation  to  the  Hottentots.  If 
this  proves  true  I  shall  be  excessively  delighted,  and  shall  never  say 
again  that  I  am  sorry  I  went  into  Parliament ;  not  that  I  did  much  in 
the  business,  but  I  flatter  myself  I  did  a  little.  Do  get  M.  to  read 
Dr.  Philip's  book  on  South  Africa.  I  think  you  would  not  repent  if 
you  did  the  same.  I  am  very  well,  and  in  good  spirits,  though  some- 
what worried  about  the  tiresome  mines,  which  want  attention." 

His  delight  was  well-founded.  From  the  day  that  the  Fiftieth 
Ordinance  became  law  the  Hottentots  were  raised  to  the  level 
of  their  white  oppressors  ;  they  were  protected  by  the  same  laws, 
they  could  own  property,  they  could  demand  wages  in  return  for 
their  labour,  they  could  no  longer  be  seized  "  like  stray  cattle  " 
if  they  left  their  village  bounds ;  in  short,  they  were  become  a 
free  people ;  and  since  that  day  civilization  and  Christianity, 
with  all  their  retinue  of  blessings,  have  flourished  among  them. 
For  a  while  dismal  forebodings  and  fierce  complaints  rang  among 
the  colonists  at  this  sudden  inroad  upon  their  oppressive  privi- 
leges ;  but  after  a  few  slight  commotions  both  their  anger  and 
their  fears  died  away  :  and  the  experience  of  eighteen  years  has 
abundantly  approved  the  wisdom,  as  well  as  the  justice,  of  this 
important  measure. 

To  the  N.E.  of  the  colony  lies  the  rich  pasture  land  of  the 
Kat  River ;  from  which,  in  1827,  the  Caffres  had  been  expelled, 
after  a  long  guerilla  warfare  with  the  colonists.  On  this  tract 
of  country  the  Colonial  Government,  at  the  suggestion  of  Cap- 
tain (now  Sir  Andries)  Stockenstrom,  determined  to  form  a 
Hottentot  settlement,  as  a  sort  of  outwork  against  the  Caffres, 
and  also  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  drawing  forth  the  latent 
energies  of  the  Hottentots  themselves.  The  latter  quickly  poured 


180  KAT  RIVER  SETTLEMENT.  [CHAP.  MIL 

into  the  settlement  from  all  parts  of  the  colony,  but  for  a  long 
time  they  had  to  struggle  with  every  species  of  privation  and 
danger.  Captain  Stockenstrom  had  no  tools  to  give  them ; 
when  they  asked  him  what  means  they  would  have  to  cultivate 
the  ground,  he  could  only  answer,  "  If  you  cannot  do  it  with 
your  fingers  you  had  better  not  go  there."  However  they  set  to 
work,  lending  each  other  such  tools  as  they  possessed,  and  soon 
began  water-courses  to  irrigate  the  land  for  the  seed-corn  allowed 
by  Government. 

When  Dr.  Philip  returned  from  England  to  Africa  he  fcund 
them  still  in  want  of  even  the  necessaries  of  life  ;  but  they  had 
commenced  the  cultivation  of  the  soil ;  and  many  of  them,  having 
been  trained  under  missionaries  while  in  the  colony,  were  thirst- 
ing for  education,  though,  as  yet,  no  regular  teachers  were 
allowed  by  the  Colonial  Government  to  visit  them.  At  one  of 
the  new  hamlets,  named  after  Mr.  Wilberforce,  a  school  had 
been  established,  which  was  attended  by  sixty  or  seventy  children. 
The  teacher  was  a  young  Hottentot,  who  could  himself  read  but 
very  imperfectly.  To  an  observation  of  Dr.  Philip  he  replied, 
that  he  could  teach  but  little,  but  that  as  soon  as  a  qualified 
master  should  come,  he  would  resign  his  charge  and  take  his 
seat  among  the  children.  At  another  hamlet,  named  after  Mr. 
Buxton,*  a  school  had  already  been  brought  into  excellent  order, 
under  the  direction  of  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Stoffles,  a  converted 
Hottentot. 

Further  on  they  observed  a  well-dressed  female  Hottentot 
standing  on  a  stone,  tinkling  a  small  bell.  They  followed  her 
unperceived,  and  soon  found  her  in  a  hut  witli  fifty  children 
closely  wedged  in  around  her.  She  was  the  village  school- 
mistress ;  her  only  apparatus  being  the  separated  leaves  of  a 

*  Sixteen  years  later,  the  Rev.  James  Read  thus  refers  to  the  village 
of  Buxtou  : — 

"  Kat  River,  May  29,  1843. 

"  Buxton  is  one  of  our  largest  locations ;  we  have  a  good  school  there. 
The  school-room,  which  is  so  large  that  it  serves  also  f'>r  a  chapel,  has  been 
built  chiefly  at  the  expense  of  Sir  Fowell   Buxton.    Tin-  people  ar 
proud  of  the  name  of  their  place  :  the  situation  is  delightful  ;  the  soil  very 
fertile,  being  watered  by  a  small  stream,  which  is  tributary  to  the  Kat 
It  is  furnished  with  forests  of  the  finest  timber."     (Report  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  1844,^.  125.) 


1829.]  HAPPY  RESULTS.  181 

IsYw  Testament,  one  of  which  was  held  by  each  of  the  children, 
and  they  were  quickly  learning  to  spell  the  words.  A  few  days 
after  Dr.  Philip's  arrival  the  Hottentots  assembled  to  petition 
him  to  provide  them  with  a  teacher.  "  At  an  early  hour,"  says 
he,  "  we  sat  down  under  the  shade  of  some  spreading  trees,  near 
the  banks  of  the  Kat  River,  and  surrounded  by  some  of  the 
noblest  scenery  I  ever  saw.  After  prayer  and  singing  a  hymn 
several  of  the  head  men  addressed  the  assembly,  and  then  An- 
drew Stoffles  delivered  a  speech  which  produced  an  effect  I  had 
never  before  seen  equalled.  The  main  topic  of  his  address  was 
the  former  oppression  of  the  Hottentots,  and  he  described  what 
he  had  seen  and  felt,  rapidly  pointing  out  the  parallel  between 
their  own  position  (former  and  present)  with  the  bondage  of  the 
Children  of  Israel  in  Egypt,  and  their  entrance  into  the  promised 
land.  The  analogy  was  finely  brought  out ;  and,  as  he  went  on 
from  point  to  point  of  the  resemblance,  it  was  wonderful  to  see 
the  effect  produced  upon  the  feelings  of  his  audience  ;  they 
became  at  length  convulsed  with  emotion :  numbers,  unable  to 
support  their  feelings,  hastened  away  to  weep  apart.  When  they 
were  a  little  composed  they  assembled  round  us  again,  and  closed 
the  business  of  the  meeting  by  an  urgent  and  unanimous  request 
that  the  Rev.  J.  Read  might  come  among  them  as  their  mis- 
sionary. The  request  was  granted,  and  with  the  happiest 
effects." 

The  following  extracts,  from  authentic  documents,  will  show 
the  remarkable  success  of  this  experiment.  But  it  must  be 
premised  that  the  Hottentots  who  did  not  emigrate  to  the  Kat 
River  amounted  at  that  time  to  about  25,000.  They  continued 
in  the  colony,  working  industriously,  like  any  other  labourers, 
for  wages,  and  protected  by  the  laws.  A  gentleman  of  great 
respectability,  writing  in  1832,  says,  "  The  number  of  crimes 
charged  against  the  Hottentots  in  the  colony,  at  the  circuits,  has 
of  late  greatly  diminished  ;  *  *  *  a  great  improvement  is 
clearly  manifest  in  their  moral  condition." 

The  Kat  River  settlement  originally  contained  about  5000 
Hottentots.  It  has  continued  to  flourish  in  the  most  satisfactory 
manner,  and  has  proved  a  strong  defence  to  the  colony  in  the 
late  Caffre  war. 

So  early  as  1832  we  find  it  stated  that — 


182  HAPPY  RESULTS  OF  THE  [CHAP.  xm. 

"  The  success  of  the  Hottentots  has  been  equal  to  their  industry  and 
good  conduct.  By  patient  labour,  with  manly  moderation  and  Christian 
temperance,  they  have  converted  the  desert  into  a  fruitful  field."  * 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that,  although  while  in  a  state  of  ser- 
vitude the  Hottentots  had  been  very  much  given  to  drinking, 
they   acquired   at  the   Kat   River   remarkable   habits   of  tern-  • 
perance ;  and  of  their  own  accord  petitioned,  and  successfully, 
against  the  establishment  of  brandy  canteens. 

They  had  already  "  two  missionaries  whose  chapels  were  regu- 
larly filled,  and  several  schools  crowded  with  orderly  and  intel- 
ligent children."  f 

In  1832  they  paid  taxes  to  the  Government  to  the  amount  of 
2300  rix  dollars.  In  1833  Colonel  Bell  (the  Government  Se- 
cretary for  the  colony)  stated  that — 

"  As  to  that  large  proportion  of  the  Hottentots  who  remained  in  the 
service  of  the  colonists  as  free  labourers,  their  character  and  condition 
are  every  day  improving.  Those  settled  at  the  Kat  River,  as  small 
farmers,  have  made  a  very  surprising  progress.  A  large  portion  of 
them,  from  being  an  indolent,  intemperate,  and  improvident  class,  have, 
since  a  field  was  opened  for  virtuous  ambition,  become  industrious,  sober, 
and  prudent  in  their  conduct." 

In  the  same  year  Captain  Stockenstrom  (Chief  Civil  Commis- 
sioner of  the  Eastern  Province)  writes^ — 

"  The  Hottentots  at  the  Kat  River  have  cultivated  an  extent  of  country 
which  has  surprised  every  body  who  has  visited  the  location.  *  *  * 
Instead  of  apathy  or  indifference  about  property,  they  have  become 
(now  that  they  have  properly  to  contend  for)  as  covetous  and  litigious 
about  land  and  water  as  any  other  set  of  colonists.  They  have  dis- 
played the  utmost  anxiety  to  have  schools  established  among  them. 
*  *  *  They  travel  considerable  distances  to  attend  divine  service  regu- 
larly. Their  spiritual  guides  speak  with  delight  of  the  fruit  of  their 
labours.  No  where  have  Temperance  Societies  succeeded  half  so 
well  as  among  this  people.  They  have  repulsed  all  the  attacks  of  the 
Caff'res.  They  pay  every  tax  like  the  rest  of  the  colonists.  They  have 
rendered  the  Kat  River  by  far  the  safest  part  of  the  frontier.  *  *  *  As 


*  Letter  in  Anti-Slavery  Record,  vol.  i ,  p.  124.  f  Ib. 

t  To  T.  Pringle,  Esq. 


1829.]  KAT  RIVER  SETTLEMENT.  183 

far  as  the  land  is  arable  they  have  made  a  garden  of  it  from  one  end  to 
the  other." 

According  to  Colonel  "Wade,* 

"  They  had,  in  1833,  completed  55  canals  for  irrigation,  44  of  which 
measured  24  miles  !  Their  works,"  said  he,  "  give  the  best  evidence 
that  the  Hottentots  can  be  as  industrious,  and  are  as  capable  of  con- 
tending with  ordinary  difficulties,  as  their  fellow-men." 

Dr.  Philip  had  described  the  Hottentots  in  bondage,  as — 

"  In  a  more  degraded  and  imbruted  state  than  they  were  in  a  state  of 
nature  :  trampled  upon  by  their  masters;  held  as  a  perquisite  of  office 
by  the  Colonial  Governor ;  regarded  by  the  negro  slaves  as  only  fit  to 
be  their  drudges ;  despised  by  the  Caft'res,  and  by  all  the  natives  in  a 
state  of  freedom  ;  and  represented  by  travellers  as  scarcely  possessing 
the  human  form,  as  the  most  filthy,  stupid  beings  in  the  world  ;  as 
scarcely  to  be  considered  belonging  to  the  human  race." 

He  thus  describes  them  after  their  settlement  at  the  Kat 
River: 

"The  Kat  River  now  presents  a  scene  of  industry,  sobriety,  and 
decency,  not  surpassed  by  the  peasantry  of  any  country  in  Europe. 
They  are  building  themselves  good  houses  ;  they  are  very  decently 
clothed  ;  their  industry  is  admitted,  even  by  their  enemies." 

In  1839,  Mr.  Backhouse  mentions  his  having  visited  the  Hot- 
tentots, and  found  them  "  dressed  like  decent,  plain  people  of  the 
labouring-  class  in  England.  In  the  sixteen  schools  of  the  Kat 
River  district,  they  hud  about  1200  scholars,  and  an  attendance 
of  about  lOOO/'f 

*  Evidence  before  Aborigines  Committee. 

t  Backhouse's  Narrative  of  a  Visit  to  South  Africa,  p.  ISO. 


184  CATHOLIC  EMANCIPATION.  [CHAP.  xiv. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

1829. 

Catholic  Emancipation  —  Reflections  —  The  Mauritius  Slave  Trade  — 
Agreeable  News  —  The  Mauritius  Case  revived  —  Letter  to  Mr.  Twiss  — 
The  Government  admit  the  Existence  of  the  Slave  Trade  —  Its  complete 
Extinction  —  Mr.  George  Stephen  —  Mr.  Jeremie. 

DURING  the  session  of  1829  Parliament  was  chiefly  occupied  by 
the  discussions  on  the  question  of  Catholic  Emancipation.  Mr. 
Buxton's  constituents  at  Weymouth  were  opposed  to  the  mea- 
sure ;  and  the  knowledge  of  this  opposition,  combined  with  his 
own  doubts,  made  him  for  a  considerable  time  unwilling  to  vote 
at  all  on  the  question.  With  this  neutrality,  however,  he  could 
not  long  remain  satisfied.  After  serious  deliberation  he  became 
thoroughly  convinced  of  the  justice  and  expediency  of  the  mea- 
sure, and  thenceforward  gave  it  his  support ;  a  step  which  much 
offended  many  of  his  friends,  and  seriously  endangered  his  seat 
for  Weymouth. 

TO  A  FRIEND. 

"  House  of  Commons,  March  5. 

"  Here  I  am  waiting  for  the  Catholic  debate,  and  you  will  be  sorry 
to  hear, — no,  you  will  not,  you  are  too  valiant, — that  I  am  going  to 
secure  my  non-election  next  Parliament  by  voting  for  the  Roman  Catho- 
lics to-night.  I  really  must  vote :  the  peace  and  safety  of  Ireland 
depend  on  our  vote.  I  spent  yesterday  with  Macaulay  and  Wilberforce 
very  pleasantly.  I  am  full  of  business,  but  not  overworked  ;  this  is  just 
what  I  like." 

After  expressing  a  hope  that  he  might  not  be  unspiritualised 
by  the  cares  and  engagements  of  the  world,  he  writes,  Feb. 
15th:— 

"  Substance  of  private  prayer: — To  return  thanks  that  lean  trust 
that  niy  sins,  many  and  grievous,  have  been  forgiven,  and  that  there  i.s 
to  me  an  offer  of  reconciliation  ;  that  prayer  and  the  Scriptures  are 


1829.]  REFLECTIONS.  185 

become  more  sweet  to  me ;  that  I  have  a  wife  to  my  heart's  content,  a 
daughter  who  has  the  ability  to  be  my  companion  and  friend,  that 
Edward  and  Harry  are  doing  so  well,  and  that  the  three  little  ones  are 
a  source  of  pleasure,  not  anxiety  ;  that  peace  reigns  among  us  ;  that  I 
have  so  many  and  such  dear  friends  ;  that  I  more  clearly  see,  by  study 
of  the  Scriptures,  particularly  the  Psalms,  that  prayer  is  commanded, 

and  that  it  is  sure  to  be  answered. 

****** 

"  Last  Sunday,  I  prayed  that  the  week  might  bring  relief  from 
anxiety :  it  has  come.  Again  I  repeat  my  prayer.  Satisfy  us  early 
with  thy  mercy,  that  we  may  rejoice  and  be  glad  all  our  days.  Give 
thy  help  to-morrow  in  the  work  of  that  day, — thy  help  at  the  missionary 
meeting,  that  wisdom  may  be  granted  us  in  the  correction  of  the  errors 
and  evils  which  may  have  crept  into  that  glorious  cause.  Every  need- 
ful help  at  every  hour,  and  thy  Spirit  with  us  ;  the  spirit  of  prayer,  fer- 
vent and  acceptable  ;  the  spirit  of  patience  and  submission  ;  the  spirit 
of  hope  and  confidence." 

On  the  29th  of  March,  he  gives  a  kind  of  summary  of  the 
preceding  twelve  months. 

"  Wednesday  next  is  my  birthday ;  I  shall  then  be  forty-three.  That 
day  I  have  engaged  to  spend  with  my  admirable  friend  Wilberforce, 
who,  having  devoted  his  life  to  the  purpose  of  conferring  upon  Africa 
the  greatest  blessing  which  man  can  bestow  on  man,  is  now  passing  the 
remnant  of  his  days  in  retirement  and  repose.  I  wish,  according  to  my 
usual  practice,  to  review  the  proceedings  of  the  past  year.  In  public 
life  I  have  taken  but  little  part;  Brougham's  illness  prevented,  during 
last  session,  the  proposed  discussion  on  slavery  ;  and  during  this  session 
nothing  has  been  thought  of  but  the  Catholic  question.  I  assisted, 
however,  in  one  great  work,  which,  although  it  passed  almost  in  silence, 
is  likely  to  be  attended  with  the  most  important  and  happy  conse- 
quences,— the  liberation  of  the  Hottentots. 

"  It  is  recorded  of  Paul  that  he  thanked  God  and  took  courage  ;  and 
with  thankfulness  to  God  that  I  was  entrusted  with  this  easy  and 
honourable  task,  I  hope  to  gather  from  it  confidence  and  encouraere- 
ment  in  those  other  works  of  humanity  in  which  I  am  engaged. 
Another  work  of  a  public  nature  which  has  engaged  me,  is  the  state  of 
the  Church  Missionary  Society.  I  attended  in  February  a  meeting  of 
the  Society,  and  felt  it  my  duty  to  say,  that  I  thought  it  desirable  a 
close  and  sifting  inquiry  should  be  instituted  into  its  circumstances  ;  in 
that  I  am  now  engaged. 

"  Last  autumn  my  mother  ended  a  life  which  had  been  shaded  by  a 


186  DEATH  OF  HIS  MOTHER.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

variety  of  misfortunes  :  her  death  was  peaceful,  and  I  doubt  not  that, 
through  the  merits  of  her  blessed  Redeemer,  she  was  admitted  to  ever- 
lasting happiness.  *  *  *  I  last  saw  her  at  Weymouth,  in  August ;  her 
image  is  clear  to  my  mind,  and  long  will  it  be  before  I  forget  the  sweet- 
ness and  humility  which  then  adorned  her.  Of  her  once  high  spirit, 
nothing  remained  which  did  not  become  a  Christian.  She  was  still 
clear  and  strong  in  judgment;  still,  as  always,  entirely  devoid  of  every 
selfish  feelinsr ;  but  there  was  a  meekness  and  subjection  about  her 
which  evidently  descended  from  above.  *  *  *  I  saw  her  buried  in  a 
little  burying-ground  at  Bridport ;  and  very  thankful  indeed  was  I,  that, 
after  the  troubles  and  conflicts  she  had  encountered,  we  could  lay  her 
there,  in  a  sure  and  certain  hope  of  a  joyful  resurrection." 

After  mentioning  other  events  of  the  year,  he  continues  : — 

"  Within  the  bounds  of  my  own  immediate  family  I  have  been  pecu- 
liarly prosperous.  *  *  *  '  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul ;  and  all  that  is 
within  me,  bless  His  holy  name.' 

"  And  peculiarly  happy  am  I  also  in  the  next  circle — that  of  my 
chosen  friends.  I  have  often  thought  that  there  is  no  one  so  rich  in 
friends  as  I ;  but  this  is  a  large  topic,  so  I  waive  it. 

"  In  my  public  capacity  it  has  pleased  God,  in  depriving  me  of  strong 
health,  to  deprive  me  of  the  power  of  much  exertion.  My  public  re- 
putation has,  I  think,  considerably  fallen.  If  I  could  be  sure  that  I 
have  done  as  much  as  my  reduced  strength  would  admit,  this  would 
give  me  no  concern ;  and,  to  speak  the  truth,  it  does  give  me  no 
concern. 

"  In  my  outward  affairs  I  have  had,  as  I  have  said,  many  trials  in 
some  particulars  ;  in  others,  I  have  been  equally  successful.  But  I  do 
believe,  I  recognise  both  misfortune  and  success,  as  coming  from  the 
same  Divine  and  fatherly  hand." 

After  other  prayers  and  thanksgivings,  he  thus  concludes : — 

"  I  pray  also  that  I  may  evermore  be  helped  of  thee  in  my  public 
pursuits  :  that  in  the  cause  of  the  oppressed  negro  I  may  not  be  a  negli- 
gent or  a  useless  advocate.  Be  thy  blessing  there,  O  Lord  ! 

"  That  particularly  with  regard  to  the  oppressed  negro  at  the  Mau- 
ritius I  may  have  Ihy  help.  '  For  the  oppression  of  the  poor,  for  the 
sighing  of  the  needy  ;  now  will  I  arise,  saith  the  Lord.'  O  may  this 
be  verified,  and  that  speedily  ! 

"  That  thy  help  may  attend  me  in  my  present  labours  on  the  mis- 
sionary question. 

"  I  do  thank  thee,  O  Lord,  that  I  have  not  now,  as  heretofore,  to 


1829.]  LETTER  TO  MR.  MACAULAY.  187 

address  prayer  to  thcc  with  regard  to  the  Hottentot  question,  but  praises 
and  thanksgivings." 

*  *  *  * 

"  And  now  for  those  dear  to  me,  for  my  friends,  I  pray  that  every 
blessing  I  have  asked  for  myself  may  attend  them.  I  feel  especially 
prompted  to  pray  for  some  of  them  ;  especially  for  poor  dear  Macaulay, 
who  I  know  is  in  much  sorrow.  Let  me  plead,  O  Lord,  his  sacrifices  in 
the  slave  question,  his  many  trials,  his  unparalleled  labours  ;  the  services 
he  has  rendered,  and  the  reward  he  receives  at  the  hand  of  man, — re- 
proach, calumny,  and  insult.  Be  pleased,  O  Lord,  thyself  to  reward 
him;  smooth  away  every  difficulty  ;  grant  him  prosperity;  and  grant 
him  to  grow  in  grace  :  enrich  him  with  the  comfort  of  thy  Holy  Spirit ; 
make  him  prosperous  here,  and  happy  hereafter.  *  *  *  For  some 
other  of  my  friends,  I  pray  that  their  hearts  may  cleave  to  thee,  that 
their  affections  may  be  set  on  things  above,  not  on  things  on  the 
earth ;  and  that,  finding  mortification  and  disappointment  here,  they 
may  seek  comfort  with  thee,  at  whose  right  hand  are  pleasures  for 
evermore. 

"  For  all  my  relatives,  and  for  all  my  friends,  I  pray  that  the  blessing 
of  God,  through  Christ  Jesus,  may  rest  upon  them." 

He  had  hoped  this  session  to  have  again  brought  forward  the 
Mauritius  case. 

TO  ZACHARY  MACAULAY,  ESQ. 

"  London,  April,  1829. 

"  When  I  was  last  in  town  I  had  been  for  some  time  extremely  unwell ; 
and  I  then  thought,  as  I  believe  you  thought  also,  that  it.  would  not  be 
prudent  for  me  to  undertake  any  heavy  business  this  session.  Since  that 
time  I  have  been  much  better  ;  and,  reflecting  much  upon  the  Mauritius 
horrors,  I  cannot  feel  comfortable  to  let  those  questions  rest.  I  really 
wish  to  ask  your  advice  ;  I  well  know  the  deep  interest  which  you  take 
in  my  welfare,  as  well  as  in  that  of  our  cause  :  and  now  tell  me,  whether 
in  your  opinion  I  ought  to  hazard  the  '  inevitable  death '  with  which 
Dr.  Farre  last  year  threatened  me,  or  to  desert  a  cause  which  now  more 
than  ever  wants  the  aid  of  all  its  friends.  I  confess  the  bias  of  my  mind 
is  strongly  in  favour  of  bringing  forward  the  Mauritius  cruelty  case ; 
and  if  you  agree  with  me,  so  I  believe  it  must  be.  If  you  fix  a  meet- 
ing of  our  i'riends  at  Brougham's  I  shall  make  a  point  of  being  there. 
***** 

"  With  respect  to  our  proceedings  in  Parliament,  I  am  still  inclined 
to  believe  that  the  best  thing  which  could  be  done  would  be  for 
Brougham  to  make  his  motion. 


188  THE  MAURITIUS  SLAVE  TRADE.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

"  It  is  clear  that  a  very  powerful  statement  is  wanting  in  order  to  re- 
new the  interest  of  the  public ;  and  having  him,  and  Mackintosh,  and 
our  other  friends  ready  for  a  great  effort  upon  the  admission  of  slave 
evidence,  we  are  so  safe,  and  so  certain  of  making  a  great  impression, 
that  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  think  anything  else  is  so  good." 

The  attention  of  Parliament  was  so  entirely  engrossed  by  the 
Catholic  question,  that  his  intention  respecting  the  Mauritius 
could  not  be  carried  into  effect,  nor  was  his  health  equal  to  any 
exertion  in  public.  In  private,  he  continually  pressed  the 
Government  to  further  measures ;  one  of  which  is  alluded  to  in 
the  following  memorandum,  which  also  refers  to  the  success  of 
Mr.  Brougham's  endeavours  to  procure  the  recognition  of  negro 
evidence  in  the  colonies  : — 

"  May  17,  1829. 

"  1.  On  Tuesday  last  Sir  George  Murray  told  me  that  Government 
would  next  session  introduce  a  bill  for  admitting  negro  evidence ;  and 
likewise  a  bill  ror  improving  courts  of  justice.  2.  That  they  would 
grant  a  commission  for  investigating  the  slave-trade  at  the  Mauritius, 
and  the  condition  of  the  slaves.  3.  Twiss  told  me  on  Thursday  that 
Government  had  resolved  to  send  out  orders  to  emancipate  the  Indians 
at  Honduras,  in  whose  cause,  at  the  instigation  of  Colonel  Arthur,  we 
moved  about  three  years  ago.*  4.  Dr.  Philip,  on  Thursday,  told  me 
that  the  Order  in  Council  with  respect  to  the  Hottentots  was  all  that 
lie  wished.  So  far,  then,  God  has  been  pleased  to  answer  our  prayers. 
My  text  and  my  comfort  to-day  has  been  '  Delight  thyself  in  the 
Lord,  and  he  shall  give  thee  the  desires  of  thine  heart.  Commit 
thy  way  unto  the  Lord,  trust  also  in  him,  and  he  shall  bring  it  to 
pass.' " 

Towards  the  close  of  the  session,  Sir  Robert  Farquhar  re- 
curred to  the  statement  formerly  made,  that  slave-trading  had 
existed  in  the  Mauritius  during  his  government,  and  required 
that  the  charge  should  be  investigated,  or  retracted.  Mr. 
liuxton  explained  the  reason  why  it  had  been  dropped,  and  read 
the  opinion  of  his  physician,  that  he  could  not  attend  to  public 

*  Mr.  Wilherforce  had  requested  Mr.  Buxton  to  undertake  this  matter 
in  a  letter  dated  February  18,  1825,  adding,  "  I  know  I  need  not  apologize 
to  you  for  the  trouble  I  impose  on  you,  in  the  residuary  legatee  cajKU'ity. 
You  are  likely  to  have  a  very  unprofitable  inheritance,  if  it  be  estimated 
according  to  the  ordinary  principles  of  valuing  articles.  But  their  slerliny 
value  will  be  recognized  by-aud-by." 


1829.]  RETURN  OF  THE  COMMISSIONERS.  189 

business  in  Parliament  without  danger  to  his  life.  But  lie 
pledged  himself,  if  alive  in  the  next  session,  to  accept  the  chal- 
lenge of  the  honourable  Baronet.*  However,  in  the  course  of 
the  summer  the  commissioners  returned,  and  their  report  ren- 
dered any  further  exertion  unnecessary.  In  spite  of  the  great 
difficulties  by  which  they  had  been  surrounded,  (for  the  inhabit- 
ants had  banded  themselves  together  in  a  sort  of  conspiracy,  to 
prevent  any  evidence  from  being  laid  before  them,)  they  had 
established  the  fact  of  the  Mauritius  slave-trade,  and  to  a  great 
degree  ascertained  its  extent ;  and  they  clearly  proved  that  this 
trade  had  continued  in  full  vigour,  except  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  General  Hall. 

On  August  23,  1829,  Mr.  Spring  Rice,  whose  co-operation  in 
this  question  had  been  in  the  highest  degree  valuable,  writes  to 
Mr.  Buxton, — 

"  My  principal  object  in  writing  respects  the  Mauritius  case.  In  the 
first  place  let  me  congratulate  you  on  the  complete  vindication  of  your- 
self contained  in  the  Report.  But  what  course  is  next  year  to  be  taken  ? 
If  a  committee,  you  may  depend  on  my  best  help,  night  and  day,  if 
necessary ;  but  only  on  the  condition  of  being  authorised  by  Mrs. 
Buxton  to  watch  you  as  attentively  as  the  Inquiry,  and  to  send  you 
packing,  if  I  see  the  matter  press  on  your  health  or  spirits.  Prav  tell 
Mrs.  Buxton  to  furnish  me  with  full  powers  over  you,  or  otherwise  I 
shall  never  go  down.  Also  let  me  know  what  are  your  plans,  and  what 
I  ought  to  fag  at  during  the  recess.  All  this  assumes  a  committee  to  be 
the  fitting  course  ;  but  I  have  my  doubts,  now  that  the  case  is  launched 
whether  a  commission  f  in  the  islands  is  not  a  better  mode  of  procedure. 
Turn  this  in  your  mind,  and  consult  Lushington  and  Brougham ;  I 
think  Murray  is  deserving  of  every  confidence." 

The  following  letter  was  Mr.  Buxton's  reply  to  a  suggestion 
from  Mr.  Horace  Twiss  (Under-Secretary  for  the  Colonies),  that 
he  should  leave  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  Government. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  Cromer,  October  21    1829. 

"My  dear  Twiss, — Upon  the  most  deliberate  consideration  1  am 
afraid  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  adopt  your  suggestion.  I  originally 
stated  that  the  slave  trade  prevailed  during  Sir  Robert  Farquhar's  go- 

'  See  Mirror  of  Parliament,  June  3,  1829. 
f  5.  e.  an  executive  commission. 


190  LETTER  TO  MR.  TWISS.  [CHAP.  XIT. 

vernmcnt.  Ill  health  prevented  me  from  bringing  forward,  in  the  ses- 
sion of  1827,  the  proofs  I  possessed.  In  1828  I  took  no  steps,  except 
that  I  offered  to  Mr.  Huskisson  to  put  the  Government  in  possession  of 
my  case,  as  I  was  unable  to  go  on  with  it.  He  declined  my  offer,  but 
told  me  that  it  was  Sir  R.  Farquhar's  intention  to  require  me  either  to 
retract  my  statements,  or  to  proceed  with  the  investigation.  My  reply 
was,  that  I  would  retract  nothing,  and  that  if  I  were  thus  called  on,  I 
would,  at  any  personal  inconvenience,  move  for  a  committee. 

"  I  heard  no  more  of  the  question  in  1828.  At  the  latter  end  of  last 
session  Sir  Robert  thought  proper  to  make  precisely  the  same  demand 
as  that  of  which  Mr.  Huskisson  had  warned  me.  I  could  do  no  less  than 
accept  the  challenge,  and  declare  that  I  would  bring  forward  the  ques- 
tion in  the  next  session.  If  I  were  now  to  decline  doing  so,  Sir  R. 
Farquhar  would  stand  in  the  best  possible  situation :  charges  were  made 
against  him — he  had  in  Parliament  defied  his  accuser  to  produce  the 
proof— that  accuser  had  pledged  himself  to  do  so,  and  had  not  performed 
his  pledge :  in  short,  he  would  obtain  a  triumph,  and  that  at  my 
expense. 

"  Now,  considering  that  the  commissioners  have  proved  beyond  a 
doubt  that  slave  trading  did  exist  during  his  government,  and  considering 
that  I  have  irresistible  proof  of  all  I  have  asserted  and  of  much  more 
than  I  ever  did  state,  this  would  not  be  to  me  a  very  eligible  termination 
of  the  controversy. 

"  I  have  entered  into  this  long  explanation  in  order  to  satisfy  you  that 
I  am  placed  in  a  situation  by  Sir  R.  Farquhar's  challenge,  which  leaves 
me  no  alternative  but  to  proceed. 

"  I  confess  to  you  that,  as  far  as  he  is  concerned,  I  do  so  with  the 
greatest  reluctance.  I  have  no  enmity  against  him  ;  and  I  should  be 
very  glad  to  be  spared  the  task  of  being  his  accuser.  Of  this  the  best 
proof  I  can  give  is,  that  I  should  be  ready,  at  this  moment,  to  abandon 
the  inquiry,  with  a  full  sense  that  I  expose  myself  to  severe  reflections, 
provided  I  could  do  so  without  sacrificing  the  interests  of  others.  The 
slave  trade  did  prevail ;  that  is  not  disputed  :  every  negro  thus  illegally 
brought  into  the  colony,  is  by  law  free.  Consequently,  before  I  shall 
be  justified  in  abandoning  the  inquiry,  I  ought  to  know  that  Government 
will  take  efficient  measures  for  restoring  freedom  to  these  persons.  Se- 
condly, I  can  prove  that  the  slaves  at  the  Mauritius  have  been  treated 
with  unparalleled  cruelty.  I  cannot  abandon  their  case  till  I  have  secu- 
rity that  Government  will  take  decided  measures  for  improving  their 
condition.  Thirdly,  my  motive  for  taking  up  the  question,  was  a  desire 
to  suppress  the  slave  trade.  Before  I  can  quit  the  subject  it  must  be 
proved  to  me  that  the  slave  trade  is  extinct,  and  that  it  cannot,  in  all 
human  probability,  be  revived. 


1830.]  THE  MAURITIUS  SLAVE  TRADE.  191 

"Surely  there  is  nothing  in  these  requests,  to  which  the  Government 
can  make  any  objection.  They  must  be  as  anxious  as  I  am  that  no  per- 
sons shall  be  hold  in  illegal  bondage  in  a  British  colony, — that  extreme 
cruelty  should  be  prevented, — and  that  the  slave  trade  should  be 
suppressed.  I  say  again,  if  these  public  objects  can  be  accomplished, 
I  shall  take  leave  of  the  question,  caring  little  whether  my  contest  with 
Sir  Robert  Farquhar  ends  with  credit  to  me  or  without  it." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTOX. 

"February.5,  1830. 

"  I  have  had  another  interview  with  Sir  George  Murray  this  morning  ; 
and  I  am  heartily  grieved  and  heartily  angry,  that  he  is  not  prepared  to 
act  as  I  wish  about  the  Mauritius.  It  is  not  however  settled  ;  he  is  to 
give  me  a  final  answer  in  a  few  days.  Is  not  this  horrible  ?  I  am  how- 
ever well,  and  in  good  spirits,  believing  that  though  there  be  the  arm  of 
flesh  on  one  side,  there  is  a  stronger  arm  on  the  other." 

Mr.  Buxton  was,  however,  spared  any  lengthened  exertions  on 
this  subject.  The  unexpected  death  of  Sir  Robert  Farquhar  put 
an  end  to  that  part  of  the  Mauritian  controversy  that  related  to 
him,  and  in  the  spring  of  1830,  the  Government,  convinced  by 
the  report  of  the  commission,  declared  their  willingness  to  take 
up  the  main  question  with  vigour. 

TO  EDWARD  BYAM,  ESQ. 

"  London,  April  30,  1830. 

"  My  dear  Byam, — After  repeated  disappointments,  Lushington, 
Spring  Rice,  and  I  saw  Sir  George  Murray  to-day.  He  admitted,  in  the 
most  unequivocal  terms,  that  slave  trading  to  a  vast  extent  had  prevailed 
at  the  Mauritius,  and  that  all  our  statements  had  been  well  founded. 

"  I  urged  a  committee  for  the  purpose  of  putting  our  evidence  on  re- 
cord, lie  maintained  that  it  was  unnecessary,  as  the  Government  ad- 
mitted, and  no  one  denied,  all  I  wished  to  prove. 

"  He  is  to  take  measures  to  liberate  all  slaves  illegally  imported,  and 
Lushington  approves  the  plan  by  which  this  is  to  be  done. 

"  When  he  had  made  all  these  admissions,  I  then  said  that  the  time 
was  come  in  which  those  who  had  been  injured  and  ruined*  for  no 
other  crime  than  that  they  had  not  connived  at  the  slave  trade,  ought  to 


*  Mr.  Byam  had  been  deprived  of  his  situation  as  Commissary-General 
of  Police,  in  consequence  of  his  activity  in  suppressing  the  slave  trade. 
General  Hall,  who,  when  Governor,  had  distinguished  himself  by  his  exer- 
tions for  the  same  end,  had  also  suffered  severely  from  the  misrepresentations 
of  the  colonists. 


192  ITS  COMPLETE  EXTINCTION.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

be  indemnified.  I  gave  him  your  letter,  and  bore  the  same  testimony 
or  even  stronger  to  your  character  than  I  did  in  my  letter  to  you.  He 
promised  to  read  your  letter.  I  then  turned  the  conversation  to  General 
Hall,  arid  expressed  the  opinion  I  have  always  entertained  of  his  noble 
conduct,  and  intimated  that  some  public  notice  should  be  taken  of  it,  or, 
at  the  very  least,  that  it  should  be  admitted  that  he  was  right  in  all  he 
did.  I  do  not  despair  of  seeing  this  done  by  Murray."- 

The  labour  bestowed  by  Mr.  Buxton  and  his  friends  on  this 
subject,  was  thus  crowned  with  complete  success.  Long  unnoticed 
and  unchecked  by  the  Government  at  home,  the  evil  had  grown 
up  and  flourished ;  but  it  withered  in  a  day.  Those  who  had 
readily  joined  in  it,  while  veiled  from  sight,  now  shrunk  from  the 
light  which  fell  upon  their  doings.  At  the  same  time  new  vigour 
was  thrown  into  every  department  of  the  executive  ;  and  thus  the 
remnants  of  the  trade  in  slaves  were  soon  extinguished.  It  only 
remained  to  make  reparation  to  those  who  had  been  its  victims. 
Sir  George  Murray  had  agreed  to  the  proposition,  that  every 
slave  in  the  Mauritius  should  be  set  free,  whose  master  could  not 
prove  a  title  to  his  possession ;  but  Lord  Goderich,  who  at  this 
time  succeeded  Sir  G.  Murray  in  office,  insisted  on  laying  the 
onus  probandi,  not  upon  the  master,  but  on  the  slave,  a  difference 
and  a  hardship  of  no  small  magnitude. 

Notwithstanding,  a  considerable  number  of  slaves  were  able 
to  prove  that  they  had  been  illegally  imported,  and  accordingly 
obtained  their  freedom.  The  business  was  wound  up  in  1830; 
but  when  those  that,  had  undertaken  it  came  to  settle  their  aflairs, 
a  circumstance  occurred  to  which  Mr.  Buxton  often  referred  with 
strong  expressions  of  admiration.  Mr.  George  Stephen  had 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  case  when  it  was  first  mooted.  He 
was  afterwards  retained  as  the  professional  assistant  of  its  parlia- 
mentary advocates ;  and  in  this  capacity  had  incurred  a  very 
heavy  expense  of  money,  labour,  and  time.  Of  the  remuneration 
justly  due  to  him,  amounting  to  2000/.,  he  refused  to  receive 
any  part. 

We  cannot  conclude  this  brief  outline  of  the  "  Mauritius  Case  " 
without,  jsome  allusion  to  another  of  the  gentlemen  who  acted  a 
prominent  part  in  the  drama.  Mr.  Jeremie,  who  had  been 
Chief  Justice  of  St.  Lucia,  had  there  ruined  his  prospects  by 
the  boldness  with  which  he  struggled  against  the  ill  treatment  of 
the  slaves.  Ardent  in  his  abhorrence  of  wrong  and  cruelty, 


1830.]  MR.  JEREMIE.  193 

singularly  wanting  in  selfish  prudence,  he  never  cared  what 
might  befall  him,  while  pushing  forward  what  he  felt  to  be 
right ;  but  in  planning  he  was  too  hasty,  in  action  too  impetu- 
ous, for  complete  success. 

This  gentleman  returned  from  St.  Lucia,  at  the  very  time 
when  the  Government  had  determined  to  appoint  protectors  of 
slaves  in  the  four  Crown  Colonies.  It  struck  Mr.  Buxton, 
that  he  had  just  the  resolute  boldness  and  principle  which  a 
public  officer  in  the  Mauritius  would  most  especially  need. 
Upon  his  making  the  suggestion,  however,  Mr.  Jeremie  replied 
that  lie  had  already  suffered  enough.  "  Nothing,"  said  he, 
"  shall  induce  me  to  go  to  a  slave  colony  again."  "  Why," 
said  Mr.  Buxton ;  "  it  signifies  very  little  whether  you  are 
killed  or  not ;  but  it  signifies  very  much  whether  the  right  man 
goes  to  the  Mauritius  or  not,  at  this  juncture."  Mr.  Jeremie 
smiled  and  went  away ;  but  he  came  back  the  next  day,  and 
said,  "  I  have  been  carefully  thinking  over  what  you  said 
yesterday ;  and  I  have  fully  made  up  my  mind  that  it  is  better 
I  should  be  sacrificed  than  not  have  the  thing  done  as  it  ought 
to  be.  Therefore,  I  am  ready  to  go ; "  and  he  accordingly 
applied  for  and  obtained  the  appointment  of  Procureur-General. 

The  undertaking  was  no  light  one.  So  hateful  to  the  planters 
was  the  character  in  which  he  came,  that  he  could  not  even  land 
without  encountering  resistance ;  and  during  the  short  time  he 
remained  ashore,  he  was  harassed  and  withstood  at  every  turn ; 
abuse  and  insult  were  lavished  upon  him  ;  his  life  was  repeatedly 
threatened,  and  even  attempted.  lie  was  at  last  obliged  to  take 
refuge  on  board  a  man-of-war  in  the  harbour  ;  but  he  still  con- 
tinued to  perform  the  functions  of  his  office,  till  at  length  the 
Governor,  Sir  Charles  Colville,  considered  himself  under  the 
necessity  of  appeasing  the  people  by  commanding  him  to  leave 
the  island.  No  sooner,  however,  did  he  reacn  England,  than, 
to  his  great  delight,  he  received  orders  to  return  at  once,  with 
an  increased  military  force,  and  to  resume  his  office.  He  re- 
turned, and  assisted  by  Mr.  lleddie,  the  President  of  one  of  the 
Courts,  recommenced  his  plans  for  the  defence  of  the  negro. 
Again,  however,  the  popular  clamour  arose,  and  threatened  the 
peace,  if  not  the  safety,  of  the  island  ;  and  he  was  finally  re- 
called, and  reached  England  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1835. 

o 


194  LETTERS.  [CHAP.  xv. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

1829,   1830. 

Letters  — Papers  —  Mitigation  of  the  Penal  Code  —  Illness  and  Death  of  his 
second  Son. 

MR.  BUXTON'S  own  health  was  much  restored  during  the  winter 
of  1829;  but  illness  in  his  family  caused  him  severe  anxiety. 
On  leaving  home,  when  this  was  in  a  great  measure  relieved,  he 
writes : — 

"  Spitalfields,  Nine  o'Clock  at  Night, 
November  25,  1829. 

"  I  was  very  sorry  that  I  was  only  able  to  write  that  short,  shabby 
letter,  which  I  sent  this  morning.  I  never  before  felt  my  heart  so 
entirely  riveted  to  home ;  everything  else  seems  flat,  except  that 
centre  of  my  affections. 

' '  But  now  for  a  history  of  my  travels.  Nurse  and  I  were  very  good 
friends,  and  had  some  instructive  conversation  upon  the  pleasing- 
subjects  of  wounds,  operations,  &c. ;  and  I  presume  I  won  her  heart, 
as  she  began  and  concluded  every  sentence  with,  '  My  dear  Sir.'  1 
lapsed  however,  at  last,  into  my  books.  It  was  a  wretched  night ;  but 
I  Mas  none  the  worse  for  that,  as  my  great  coat  and  snow  shoes  kept 
me  from  cold.  I  soon  set  myself  to  a  review  of  late  events,  and  that 
led  me  to  go  over  my  list  of  the  mercies  which  have  been  granted  to 
me,  and  a  grand  list  it  appears.  When  I  go  over  it  item  by  item,  the 
account  seems  surprisingly  large.  Mercies  of  all  sorts.  *  *  * 
Then,  children  to  my  heart's  content ;  brothers  and  sisters  the  same ; 
friends  the  same ;  station  in  life  and  circumstances  the  same  ;  the 
public  objects  to  which  I  have  been  directed  the  same  ;  and  there  u>o 
fifty  other  dittos  of  the  same  order.  Then  my  own  life,  so  often 
preserved,  and  my  children,  given  to  me,  as  it  were,  a  second  time.  1 

read  some  lines  lately  in  one  of  those  wicked  newspapers  (as 

called  them),  the  Weekly  Dispatch,  which  I  must  get  hold  of  again. 
I  forget  the  lines;  but  their  substance  was,  that  ere  long  Death  shall 
open  his  casket;  and  they  end  thus:  — 

'  Then  shall  I  see  my  jewels  to  my  joy,  my  jewels  me.' 


1829.]  LETTERS.  l'j.1 

"  Then  come  personal  mercies  of  the  same  sort.  I  have  clear,  un- 
doubting  views  of  the  efficacy  of  prayer.  I  know  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
be  granted  to  those  who  ask  for  it,  and  I  see  wonderful  mercy,  love,  and 
grandeur  developed  throughout  all  creation  ;  and  I  know  that  I  have  a 
Redeemer.  Upon  these  grounds,  and  such  as  these,  I  am  thoroughly 
thankful,  or  rather  I  perceive  that  I  ought  to  be  so. 

'•  These  thoughts,  and  hearty  prayers  for  us  all,  with  a  fond  recollec- 
tion of  the  dear  invalids  i  had  left,  carried  me  to  Ipswich  ;  and  after 
that  I  cannot  give  a  very  clear  acccount  of  anything,  having  fallen  sound 
asleep.  The  snow  became  so  deep  that  we  were  obliged  to  part  with 
the  guard  and  the  bags,  who  rattled  away  in  a  postchaise  and  four ; 
while  we  crawled  into  the  fog  of  this  great  town.  I  dressed  at  the 
brewery ;  went  to  Lombard  Street,  to  Macaulay's,  and  to  the  Anti- 
Slavery  meeting  (we  are  to  meet  again  at  Brougham's  on  Friday  even- 
ing, I  believe  ;  so  forgive  me  for  not  giving  you  the  history  of  our  pro- 
ceedings) ;  then  to  Dr.  Lushington,  then  to  the  Real  del  Monte,  then 
to  dinner  at  the  London  Tavern  by  myself,  then  to  the  meeting  about 
the  Indian  widows,  from  which  I  have  just  returned. 

"  I  am  really  eager  to  know  whether  the  storm  produced  any 
wrecks  :  I  trust  it  did  not ;  or  if  it  did,  that  Anna  Gurney  saved  the 
crew,  jind  is  now  subjecting  them  to  a  second  and  a  greater  peril,  from 
repletion  at  the  Cottage.  Then  the  whale,  then  Cromer  Hall,*  then 
Mrs.  Fry.  Why,  what  a  wonderful  place  Cromer  is !  This  big 
city  cannot  supply  half  as  much  real  important  news  as  little  Cromer 
can  furnish. 

"Your  affectionate  husband,  father,  brother,  and  friend, 

"  T.  FOWELL  BUXTOX." 

Again,  during  a  second  visit  to  London  : — 

"I  had  a  pleasant  journey,  going  outside  as  far  as  Bury,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  satisfying  myself  with  surveying  the  stars.  I  never  was  out  on 
a  finer  night,  or  was  more  sensible  of  the  majesty  of  the  spectacle.  A 
man  must  preach  very  well  indeed  before  he  conveys  such  a  lesson  of 
the  greatness  of  God,  and  the  unworthiness  of  man,  as  a  view  of  the 
heavens  discloses.  It  aKvays  strikes  me  tiiat  such  a  sight  turns  into 
downright  ridicule  and  laughter  our  (in  our  own  eyes)  important  pur- 
suits." 

The  same  subject  is  referred  to  in  the  following  entry,  made 
about  this  time,  in  his  commonplace  book:  — 

*  This  refers  to  incidents  -which  had  recently  occurred :  the  capture  of  a 
large  whale,  aud  a  fire  at  Cromer  Hull. 

o  2 


196  MEDITATIONS  ON  [CHAP.  xv. 

"  O  God,  whether  we  look  to  the  mighty  operations  of  thy  hands, 
the  millions  of  suns  which  thou  hast  made,  or  to  the  swarms  of  living 
things  which  fill  every  space,  whose  curious  and  delicate  organisation  is 
the  work  of  thy  hands,  or  remember  that  it  is  thou  who  satisfies!  the 
desire  of  every  living  thing,  still  the  same  truth  bursts  upon  us— thou 
art  almighty  and  all  good.  Thou  art  goodness,  arid  majesty,  and  infi- 
nity. Then  what  madness  is  it  in  us  to  rebel  against  thy  laws !  what 
madness  to  commit  offences  under  the  eye  of  such  a  master !  what  mad- 
ness not  to  centre  our  hopes,  our  joys,  our  affections,  in  one  so  good  and 
so  great !  Let  me  say,  O  righteous  Father,  the  world  hath  not  known 
thee,  but  I  have  known  thee.  Let  me  not  be  as  those  who  have  eyes 
and  see  not,  ears  and  hear  not,  hearts  and  understand  not ;  but  let  me 
have  the  wisdom,  the  heaven-sent  wisdom,  to  trace  thee  in  all  things  ; 
and  because  I  trace  thee,  to  love  thee,  fear  thee,  obey  thee,  and  wor- 
ship thee  with  my  whole  heart." 

"  Januaryj  1,  183°- 

"  I  feel  gratitude  to  God,  that  with  all  our  imperfections  and  sins, 
we  have  in  some  degree  been  constant  in  prayer,  and  have  tasted  its 
sweetness  ;  that  we  have  more  diligently  than  formerly  read  His 
book,  and  in  some  degree  found  that  His  words  they  are  spirit  and 
they  are  life. 

"  And  now  what  do  I  desire  to  pray  for  ?  Thy  promise,  O  Lord, 
stands  clear  and  plain — there  is  no  ambiguity  ;  it  is  certain  that  desiring 
and  praying  for  thy  Holy  Spirit,  we  shall  obtain  it.  Surely  I  do  desire 
and  do  pray  for  it.  '  Shall  not  our  heavenly  Father  give  his  Holy  Spirit 
to  those  who  ask  it?  '  It  is  certain  that  He  will.  I  know  not  but  that 
death  may  arrest  my  hand  while  I  write  this  sentence.  I  know  not  that 
the  world  and  all  who  inhabit  it  shall  survive  this  day  ;  but  I  do  know 
that  God,  who  cannot  lie,  has  promised  and  will  give  His  Holy  Spirit  to 
me,  who  now  earnestly  and  humbly  pray  for  it.  That  is  one  secure  pos- 
session which  accident  cannot  destroy,  nor  time  wear  away,  nor  the 
malice  of  Satan  snatch  from  me. 

"  (2  Peter  iii.  10.)  The  heavens  may  pass  away,  the  elements  melt, 
the  earth  be  burned  up,  but  the  immutable  promise  of  my  God  has 
granted  and  secured  to  me  His  Holy  Spirit;  what  consolation  to  know 
one  irrevocable  truth,  and  that  truth  essential  to  our  happiness !  Then 
let  that  Holy  Spirit  come,  conic  to  my  heart,  and  with  great  power. 

"  (Eph.  iii.  16.)  Let  it  strengthen  me  with  might  in  the  inner  man  ; 
let  it  feed  me  with  the  bread  of  life ;  let  it  erase  that  which  is  ungodly, 
that  which  is  earthly,  that  which  has  a  perishable  foundation  ;  let  it  lift 
my  soul  to  God  ;  let  it  open  to  me  the  love,  the  goodness,  the  majesty 
of  God ;  let  it  teach  salvation  through  a  Saviour,  and  let  it  welcome  the 
glad  tidings  to  my  heart. 


1830.]  PASSAGES  OF  SCRIPTURE.  197 

"  (John  xvi.  13.)  Let  it  guide  me  into  all  truth ;  let  it  sow  the  good 
seed ;  let  it  prepare  the  soul  for  the  reception  of  that  good  seed,  water 
it,  and  nourish  it,  and  bless  it  with  large  increase.  ()  God,  for  the  sake 
of  Christ  Jesus,  hear  this  prayer.  Give  me,  ()  Lord,  unreserved  con- 
fidence in  thee. 

"  (Rom.  iv.  20.)  As  Abraham  staggered  not  at  the  promises  of  God, 
through  unbelief,  but  was  strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God,  so  may  I 
be  thus  strong,  and  confident,  and  fully  persuaded  that  what  thou  hast 
promised  thou  art  able  to  perform. 

"  (Eph.  iii.  17.)  And  now  my  chief  desire  and  prayer  is,  that  Christ 
may  dwell  in  my  heart  through  faith. 

"  (John  vi.  56.)  We  in  Christ,  and  Christ  in  us. 

"  (Eph.  iv.  15.)  That  I  may  grow  up  into  him  in  all  things. 

"  (Col.  ii.  7.)  Hooted  and  built  up  in  him. 

"  (John  xv.  5.)  That  I  may  be  the  branch  and  he  the  vine ;  and  that 
that  branch  of  that  vine  may  bring  forth  much  fruit.  That  I  may  be 
among  that  flock,  of  which  he  is  the  Shepherd  ;  among  that  people,  of 
whom  he  is  the  King  ;  and  among  those  blessed,  whose  verdict  shall  be, 
Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord. 

"  (John  iv.  14,  and  vi.  33.)  That  I  may  drink  of  that  well  of  water 
which  springeth  up  unto  everlasting  life,  and  eat  of  that  bread  which 
cometh  down  from  heaven,  and  giveth  life  unto  the  world. 

"  (2  Sam.  xxii.  2.)  Be  thou  my  rock,  and  my  fortress,  and  my  Deli- 
verer; the  God  of  my  rock,  my  shield,  my  high  tower,  my  refuge, 
my  Saviour;  and  knowing  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  from  what 
deep  perdition  He  hath  rescued  me,  and  to  what  heights  of  glory  He 
has  called  me. 

"  (Eph.  iv.  1.)  Let  me,  enable  me  to  walk  worthy  of  my  vocation. 

"  (Phil.  i.  2.)  May  grace  and  peace  from  God  the  Father  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  granted.  No  resolutions  of  mine,  no  strength  of 
the  flesh  can  guard  me  from  the  power  of  sin.  But  may  He  in  whom 
there  is  all  strength  protect  me  ;  He  in  whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of 
wisdom  and  knowledge,  teach  me  and  lead  me  through  all  the  dangerous 
paths  of  my  life." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTOX. 

"  London,  February  9,  1830. 

"  I  am  in  good  spirits  and  health,  and  not  without  a  sense  that  mercy 
and  truth  and  love  are  about  me  in  my  solitude  before  you  come.  *  * 
What  a  comfort  it  is  to  me  that  you  are  all  going  on  well !  It  seems  to 
make  all  other  things  easy  and  light.  I  have  my  worries,  but  I  do  not 
regard  them.  As  for  the  affairs  of  the  mines,  which  just  now  are  a  bit 
of  a  torment,  I  depend  upon  it  that  it  will  come  right ;  and  as  to  public 


198  MINING  COMPANIES.  [CHAP.  xv. 

matters,  they  are  not  at  my  disposal  :  I  can  only  do  my  best,  and  leave 
the  result  to  Him,  to  whom  those  good  causes  belong." 

The  mining  companies  alluded  to  above,  to  which  he  belonged, 
involved  him  in  considerable  loss  of  property,  and  their  affairs 
were  often  a  subject  of  anxiety  to  him.  The  details  would  be 
of  course  unsuitable  and  uninteresting  to  the  general  reader ; 
but  those  who  had  the  opportunity  of  observing  his  conduct  in 
these  transactions,  attest  that  it  eminently  displayed  his  clear 
judgment,  his  firmness  of  purpose,  his  ability  to  resist  the  infection 
of  panic,  and  his  diligent  and  generous  regard  to  the  interests  of 
others. 

Another  matter  of  business  that  occupied  him  during  this 
spring  was  the  Bill  for  throwing  open  the  beer  trade,  to  which 
he  thus  alludes  :  — 

TO  JOSEPH  JOHX  GURNEY,  ESQ. 

"  House  of  Commons,  March  19,  1830. 

"  I  am  far  from  being  dissatisfied  with  the  beer  revolution.  In  the 
first  place,  I  do  not  know  how  to  be  so ;  I  have  always  voted  for  free 
trade  when  the  interests  of  others  were  concerned,  and  it  would  be 
awkward  to  change  when  my  own  are  in  jeopardy.  Secondly,  I  believe 
in  the  principles  of  free  trade,  and  expect  that  they  will  do  us  good  in 
the  long  run,  though  the  immediate  loss  may  be  large.  Thirdly,  I  have 
long  expected  the  change.  And,  lastly,  I  am  pleased  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  proving  that  our  real  monopoly  is  one  of  skill  and  capital.* 

"  I  have  a  letter  from  Calcutta,  saying  that  Suttee  has  been  sup- 
pressed by  Lord  William  Bentinck.  Is  not  this  comforting  ?  I  am 
also  not  without  hopes  that  Sir  G.  Murray  will  do  right  about  my 
Mauritius  slaves.  *  *  *  Peel  tells  me  he  is  with  us  about  Capital 
Punishments,  but  says  'you  must  give  me  time.'  On  slavery  nothing 
new.  Colonists  will  do  nothing.  I  am  stronerly  in  favour  of  bolder 
measures  on  the  part  of  the  Abolitionists,  arid  think  they  will  be  taken. 

"  I  am  now  attending,  and  (as  you  may  observe)  listening  to  a  debate 
on  the  distress  of  the  nation,  meaning  to  vote  against  the  conspiracy  of 
high  Tories  and  Radical  Whigs,  and  in  favour  of  Government." 

Our  readers  will  recollect  the  efforts  made  in   1821  and  the 

*  Referring  some  years  afterwards  to  the  enormous  sum  -which  the 
twelve  largest  breweries  in  London  had  lost  by  this  Heer  Hill,  he  remarked. 
"  But  it  was  right ;  it  broke  in  upon  a  rotten  part  of  our  system  —  I  am  i/lail 
they  amputated  us !  " 


1830.]  CAPITAL  PUNISHMENTS.  199 

following  years  for  the  reform  of  the  Penal  Code.  Sir  James 
Mackintosh  had  continually  kept  the  subject  in  view,  and  had 
made  various  attempts,  but  apparently  without  success,  till  Mr. 
Peel,  after  taking  office  in  1826,  commenced  his  revisal  of  the 
Code.  He  cleared  the  statute-book  of  many  obsolete  and  bar- 
barous acts,  and  arranged  and  consolidated  the  whole  body  of 
Criminal  laws.  In  the  progress  of  this  great  work,  Mr.  Peel 
introduced  in  the  year  1830  a  Bill  for  the  consolidation  of  the 
laws  relating  to  forgery.  He,  however,  retained  the  punishment 
of  death  in  several  cases,  and  on  this  point  a  strong  opposition 
was  raised  in  Parliament,  whilst,  out  of  the  House,  Mr.  Sidney 
Taylor  effected  a  change  in  public  opinion,  through  the  columns 
of  the  '  Morning  Herald.'  It  had  long  been  Mr.  Buxton's 
opinion  that  death  for  injury  to  property  was  adverse  to  the 
interests  as  well  as  to  the  feelings  of  the  commercial  world  in 
England.  It  happened  that  one  Sunday  morning  during  this 
period  he  was  visited  at  breakfast,  by  Mr.  John  Barry,  who  sug- 
gested the  extreme  importance  of  getting  this  feeling  formally 
expressed  ;  Mr.  Buxton,  while  continuing  his  breakfast,  dictated 
the  following  petition : — 

"  That  your  petitioners,  as  bankers,  are  deeply  interested  in  the  pro- 
tection of  property  from  forgery,  and  in  the  conviction  and  punishment 
of  persons  guilty  of  that  crime. 

14  That  your  petitioners  find  by  experience,  that  the  infliction  of  death, 
or  even  the  possibility  of  the  infliction  of  death,  prevents  the  prosecu- 
tion, conviction,  and  punishment  of  the  criminal,  and  thus  endangers  the 
property  which  it  is  intended  to  protect. 

"  That  your  petitioners,  therefore,  earnestly  pray  that  your  Honour- 
able House  will  not  withhold  from  them  that  protection  to  their  property 
which  they  could  derive  from  a  more  lenient  law." 

This  form  of  petition  was  sent  to  all  the  principal  towns  in 
the  kingdom,  and  quickly  obtained  the  signatures  of  firms  repre- 
senting above  1000  bankers. 

It  was  presented  on  the  24th  May  by  Mr.  Brougham.  Sir 
James  Mackintosh's  amendment  to  abolish  capital  punishment 
for  forgery  was,  however,  lost ;  but  immediately  after  this  defeat 
Mr.  Buxton  returned  into  the  House,  and  gave  notice  (in  the 
name  of  Sir  James  Mackintosh)  of  another  motion  to  the  same 
effect  on  a  further  stage  of  the  Bill.  On  this  debate  a  majority 


200  REDUCTION  OF  CAPITAL  PUNISHMENTS.     [CHAP.  xv. 

was  obtained  against  the  punishment  of  death  for  forgery  ;  and, 
though  this  decision  was  reversed  by  the  House  of  Lords,  the 
question  was  virtually  settled.  No  execution  has  since  taken 
place  for  forgery  in  Great  Britain. 

In  succeeding  years  the  infliction  of  capital  penalties  was 
more  and  more  reduced  by  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Ewart,  Mr.  Len- 
nard,  and  others,  to  whose  exertions  Mr.  Buxton  always  gave, 
while  he  remained  in  Parliament,  his  strenuous  assistance;  and 
it  is  satisfactory  to  know  that  the  number  of  crimes  now  legally 
punishable  with  death  is  reduced  from  230  to  eight  or  nine ; 
and  that,  practically,  no  executions  now  take  place  in  England 
or  Wales,  except  for  murder  or  attempts  to  murder. 

At  the  close  of  this  summer  Mr.  Buxton  was  called  away  from 
his  public  duties  by  the  illness  of  his  second  son,  a  youth  of 
great  promise,  who  showed  a  tendency  to  consumption.*  "When 
the  disease  suddenly  assumed  a  very  alarming  character,  Mr. 
Buxton  writes,  after  detailing  the  circumstances : — 

"  I  felt  in  the  night  a  deep  sense  of  tiie  goodness  of  God  and  un- 
bounded confidence  in  Him,  and  was  ready  to  place  my  child  and  every- 
thing in  His  hands. 

"  I  awoke  in  the  morning  under  an  overwhelming  load  of  distress; 
the  wretchedness  of  our  present  situation  burst  upon  me  before  I  had 
time  to  collect  my  consolations.  *  *  *  My  prayer  was,  first,  heartfelt 
thanks  to  God  for  His  goodness  and  mercy ;  an  acknowledgment  that 
He  had  dealt  most  lovingly  with  us  in  every,  every  event,  an  assurance 
that  this  stroke,  terrible  as  it  seemed,  was  mercy  and  love,  and  I  thanked 
him  for  it.  Next  did  I  cordially  thank  him  for  Harry's  state  of  mind, 
so  sweet  and  lovely  :  thanked  Him  that  he  was  evidently  a  lamb  of 
Christ's  fold,  and  prayed  that  he  might  be  strengthened  with  might  in 
the  inner  man.  *  *  *  The  text,  'these  light  afflictions  which  arc  but 
for  a  moment,'  was  deeply  comforting.  Positively,  they  are  heavy,  and 
grievous,  and  lasting  ;  but  compared  with  the  joys  of  heaven,  light,  and 
but  for  a  moment.  The  apostle  must  indeed  have  been  inspired  when 
he  formed  so  sublime  a  conception  of  God's  presence. 

"  My  prayer  is,  that  I  may  never  forget  this  day's  lesson.  How 
have  I  felt  the  vanity  of  all  earthly  things!  Ho\v  have  I  panted  to  be- 


*  Mrs.  Fry  thus  mentions  him  in  her  diary  :  "  He  was  a  child  who  in  no 
common  degree  appeared  to  live  in  the  fear  and  love  of  the  Lord ;  lie  was 
cheerful,  industrious,  clever,  very  agreeable,  and  of  a  sweet  person."— 
(Memoirs,  vol.  ii.  p.  118.) 


18.30.]  ILLNESS  OF  HIS  SECOND  SON.  201 

come  meet  for  an  eternal  inheritance  !  How  have  I  desired  for  myself, 
my  wife,  .my  children,  my  friends,  that  we  might  here  be  the  servants 
of  God,  desiring  nothing  but  to  do  His  will;  and  that  hereafter  wo 
might  form  one  band  of  happy  ones  redeemed  by  Christ,  and  enjoy- 
ing that  blessed  country,  the  least  of  whose  privileges  is,  that  '  there 
they  are  no  more  sick  !  ' 

"  I  pray  thce,  most  merciful  Father,  that  the  lesson  of  to-day  may 
not  be  forgotten,  that  we  may  ever  retain  to-day's  sense  of  the  difference 
between  temporal  and  eternal.  I  pray  thee  only  make  us  thy  children, 
and  deal  with  us  as  thou  wilt.  I  give  my  son  unto  thy  merciful  arms; 
if  ihou  wilt,  dear  Saviour,  thou  canst  make  him  whole  ;  but  thou  knowest 
best,  thy  will  be  done.  If  it  be  possible  reserve  him  for  us:  oh,  how- 
does  the  flesh  desire  it !  but  far,  far  more  do  I  desire  that  thou  wouldst 
keep  him  and  us  within  thy  fold.  Thou  didst  hear  parents'  prayers  on 
earth,  oh,  hear  us  now  ;  but  again  I  feel,  thy  will  be  done.  I  bow  with 
entire  confidence  to  thy  decrees  ;  I  am  sure  that  thou  wilt  do  for  the 
best,  for  never  so  much  as  to-day  did  I  know  thee  to  be  merciful  and 
gracious,  and  very  loving  to  all  thy  creatures." 

The  most  lively  solicitude  and  the  most  sedulous  attention 
proved  to  be  alike  in  vain.  Though  the  progress  of  the  disease 
was  extremely  slow,  it  was  unremitting,  and  the  nursing  of  this 
beloved  child  became  the  engrossing  occupation  of  the  autumn. 

The  following  paper  sliov.-s  that  hope  had  faded  away. 

••» 

"September  19,  1830. 

"  I  beseech  thee,  O  God,  the  Creator  of  the  universe,  that  thou 
wouldst  grant  me  a  much  more  lively  spirit  of  godliness,  as  the  one 
thing  which  sweetens  life,  soothes  its  cares  and  its  bitter  disappoint- 
ments, and  which  cheers  me  in  a  path  which  needs  something  to  cheer 
it.  Blessed  Lord,  hear  my  prayers  on  behalf  of  my  beloved  child.  Oh, 
how  do  I  desire,  how  earnestly  do  1  crave  that  thy  choicest  mercies 
and  the  treasures  of  thy  love  may  be  showered  upon  him !  Give  him, 
as  he  walks  through  the. valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  the  light  of 
thy  countenance,  the  support  of  thy  strength,  and  the  comfort  of  his  hea- 
venly F.ither's  presenre.  May  it  please  thee  to  impart  to  him,  flying  fast 
to  heaven,  a  foretaste  of  the  joys  which  thou  hast  prepared.  The  time  of 
tribulation  and  the  hour  of  death  are  approaching.  Oh,  be  near  him 
and  us  in  those  dark  seasons;  tell  him  that  thou  art  beside  him,  whisper 
full  consolation  in  his  ear.  Let  thy  Spirit  remind  him  that  he  is  safe 
in  thy  arms,  that  nothing  can  really  harm  him  because  thou  art  his  de- 
fender. Unto  God's  gracious  mercy  and  protection  I  commit  my  darl- 
ing-child; the  Lord  bless  him  and  keep  him,  lift  up  his  countenance 
upon  him,  and  give  him  peace  ;  and,  O  blessed  Lord,  make  us  par- 


202  LETTER  TO  HIS  SON.  [CHAP.  xv. 

takers  of  the  same  peace.  If,  as  we  believe,  in  passing  from  death 
unto  life  he  shall  experience  a  blessed  change,  if  he  is  about  to  enter 
into  the  joy  of  his  Lord,  if  bright  scenes  of  glory,  which  the  dull  eye 
of  man  hath  not  seen,  are  to  be  his,  if  he  is  to  spring  from  languor,  and 
pain,  and  weariness  of  the  flesh,  to  perfect  peace  and  joy  ;  if  this  be 
the  change  that  awaits  him,  and  surely  it  is,  then  let  us  patiently,  nay 
joyfully,  transfer  him  from  the  arms  of  earthly  parents  into  the  arms  of 
his  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

Being  obliged  to  go  up  to  London  on  the  day  succeeding  that 
on  which  this  prayer  is  dated,  Mr.  Buxton  writes  in  a  more 
cheerful  strain  to  the  young  invalid : — 

"  Newmarket,  Sept.  20. 

"  Here  I  am,  my  dear  Harry,  and  I  will  make  use  of  my  pen  while 
tea  is  brewing.  I  have  had  a  pleasant  journey.  To  be  sure,  I  could  not 
read,  for  it  grew  dark  about  the  time  we  got  to  Pearson's  ;  but  though  I 
could  not  read  out  of  a  book,  I  read  all  the  better  a  sermon  out  of  the 
stars ;  arid  a  noble  sermon  it  was,  beginning — '  The  heavens  declare  the 
glory  of  God  ;'  and  it  ended  thus, '  What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of 
him  ?'  One  part  of  the  sermon  I  recollect : — '  Vanity,  vanity,  says  the 
preacher,  all  is  vanity. — Nay,  there,  Solomon,  with  all  your  wisdom, 
you  are  wrong !  It  may  be  vanity  to  pursue  pleasure,  to  gratify  appe- 
tite, or  to  hunt  after  renown.  It  may  be  vanity  to  buy  fine  houses, 
preserve  pheasants,  plant  trees,  acquire  an  estate  with  the  hills  from 
the  Lighthouse  to  Weybourne  for  a  boundary  ;  but  it  is  not  vanity,  it 
is  excellent  good  sense,  to  serve  with  the  heart  and  soul,  and  might 
and  main,  the  Master  and  Creator  of  those  heavens :  it  is  not  vanity 
to  conquer  evil  passions,  and  stifle  unholy  repinings  :  it  is  not  vanity  to 
be  patient  and  submissive,  gentle  and  cheerful,  during  along  and  weary 
season  of  trial :  it  is  not  vanity,  in  the  midst  of  trials  and  privations,  to 
spread  around  a  loving  and  a  holy  influence,  so  that  the  sufferer  be- 
comes the  teacher  and  the  comforter ;  comforting  us  and  teaching  us 
that  unsafe  we  cannot  be,  while  we  are  in  the  arms  of  a  most  merciful 
and  tender  Father.'  So  said  the  preacher  to  whom  I  was  listening, 
and  many  other  things  he  said,  which  I  forget  at  this  moment,  but  I 
recollect  he  wound  up  one  paragraph  thus — '  Look  at  that  cluster  of 
stars,  conceive  the  power  which  framed,  and  the  wisdom  which  guides 
them,  and  then  say,  if  you  can, — I  am  able  to  improve  upon  His  dispen- 
sations; I  can  change  His  decrees  for  the  better  ;  not  his  will,  but  mine 
be  done  ! '  But  the  tea  is  getting  cold,  so  I  will  say  no  more  about  the 
sermon,  except  that  the  preacher  drew  a  most  striking  and  lucid  like- 
ness of  Nortluvpps,  painting  to  the  life  each  member  of  the  family;  so 
graphic  were  his  touches,  that  I  never  felt  more  strongly  what  a  bless- 
ing it  is  to  belong  to  it.  When  we  had  done  with  the  Hall,  he  sketched 


1830.]  LETTER  FROM  REV.  C.  SIMEON.  203 

tlu>  Cottage,  and  in  the  gravest  manner  possible  gave  a  sly  hit  or  two, 
which  made  me  smile  in  the  midst  of  my  approval.  But  now  I  must 
conclude.  May  the  God  of  hope  preserve  you  in  all  peace  ;  help, 
cheer,  enliven,  strengthen  you,  and  gladden  you  with  the  consolations 
which  come  from  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  !  Good  night,  dear  Harry,  and 
all  at  Northrcpps." 

THE  REV.  CHARLES  SIMEON  TO  T.  FOWELL  BUXTON,  ESQ. 

"  November  4. 

"  My  dear  Sir, — I  beg  leave  to  thank  you  fora  most  munificent  pre- 
sent of  game.  It  has  come  most  welcome  in  point  of  time,  but  doubly 
welcome  as  a  remembrance  from  you,  for  whom  I  have  so  long  entertained 
a  most  affectionate  regard.  I  may  even  say,  that  the  very  affliction  which 
you  arc  now  suffering  greatly  endears  it  to  me.  Sympathy  under  such 
circumstances  is  both  heightened  and  refined  ;  because  I  am  made  to  feel, 
that,  whilst  your  domestic  trouble  might  well  engross  your  every  thought, 
you  can  yet  extend  to  a  distant  friend  your  kindness  in  a  matter  of  such 
minor  importance.  In  truth,  it  is  by  the  furnace  that  Jehovah  usually 
purges  away  our  dross  ;  and  if  we  come  out  of  it  purified,  we  have 
reason  to  acknowledge  our  afflictions  as  blessings  in  disguise.  To  you, 
who  during  the  sitting  of  Parliament  are  so  much  occupied  with  public 
affairs,  it  is'  a  peculiar  blessing  to  hear  the  '  still  small  voice'  of  God 
at  home,  and  to  have  a  season  for  self-examination,  and  for  communion, 
deep  communion  with  your  own  heart ;  and  in  seeing  death  making 
its  inroads  upon  your  dearest  relatives,  you  are  brought,  I  doubt  not,  to 
contemplate  its  gradual  approach  to  yourself,  and,  I  trust,  to  be  thank- 
ful that  your  time  has  been  protracted  to  the  present  hour,  that  you 
may  be  more  fully  prepared  to  meet  its  stroke.  Above  all,  I  rejoice  to 
hear  of  the  state  of  your  son's  mind.  Yes  ;  let  him  only  commit  him- 
self into  the  Saviour's  hands,  and  his  joy  shall  indeed  be  both  intense 
and  lasting !  With  my  affectionate  regards  to  him  and  Mrs.  Buxton, 
"  I  remain  most  truly  yours, 

"  CHARLES  SIMEOX." 

While  Mr.  Buxton  most  acutely  felt  the  sorrow  of  this  cala- 
mity, he  was  no  less  alive  to  the  consolations  afforded  him.  "  It 
is  most  painful,"  he  said  to  a  friend  one  day  on  leaving  the  sick 
room,  "  it  is  most  painful,  and  yet  most  full  of  comfort.  As 
painful  as  it  can  be,  and  as  comfortable  as  it  can  be."  The  same 
spirit  breathes  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Philip  at  Cape  Town. 


204  LETTER  TO  DR.  PHILIP.  [CHAP.  xv. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  November  10,  1830. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — I  must  not  let  my  wife's  and  daughter's  letters 
go  without  a  line  to  tell  you  that  I  have  very  sincerely  sympathised  with 
you  in  the  trials  to  which  you  have  been  exposed.  I  am  sure  your 
stout  spirit  needs  not  encouragement ;  but  it  may  be  a  satisfaction  to  you 
to  know  that  your  friends  on  this  side  of  the  water  look  upon  you  as 
convicted  of  the  crime — of  putting  an  end  to  the  slavery  of  the  Hotten- 
tots. That  is  your  real  offence  ;  for  this  the  friends  of  slavery  meditate 
your  ruin  :  but  they  will  find  themselves  mistaken.  We,  too,  lay  our 
claim  to  a  share  of  that  guilt,  and  we  shall  pay  the  penalty.* 

"I  think  you  need  not  trouble  yourself  at  all  about  the  fine  or  the 
costs ;  and  as  for  shame  and  disgrace,  &(?.,  I  would  take  a  thousand 
times  as  much  to  have  written  a  book  which  has  done  so  much  good, 
and  think  it  a  capital  bargain.  Pray,  take  ample  vengeance  on  the 
enemy  by  exposing  all  kinds  of  oppression.  Do  twice  as  much  as  you 
meditated. 

'  Tu  ne  cede  malis,  sed  contra  audentior  ito.' 

"  We  are,  as  you  will  see  by  the  newspapers,  in  a  state  of  convulsion 
and  alarm  :  I  believe  it  to  be  imaginary,  and  that  the  only  real  danger 
arises  from  our  own  tears. 

"  Perhaps  domestic  griefs  make  me  insensible  to  those  of  a  public 
nature.  My  poor  boy  is  at  the  gates  of  death.  To-day  we  took  the 
Sacrament  together.  I  think  it  hardly  possible  for  any  father  to  sustain 
a  greater  loss  ;  but  then  no  father  can  have  greater  consolation.  As 
a  little  child  leans  upon  his  mother,  so  our  dear  Harry  leans  upon  his 
Saviour.  He  knows  the  event  which  is  coming,  and  is  prepared  to 
meet  it  with  entire  serenity.  He  is  truly  '  walking  through  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,'  and,  as  truly,  '  he  fears  no  evil.'  Excuse  me 
for  saying  so  much  on  a  subject  which  engrosses  all  our  thoughts.  You 
will  be  happy  to  hear  that  his  poor  mother,  notwithstanding  unceasing 
nursing,  confinement,  and  anxiety,  is  tolerably  well ;  a  great  mercy,  and 
one  among  a  multitude  which  are  granted  to  us. 

"  Our  slavery  concerns  go  on  well ;  the  religious  public  has,  at  last, 
taken  the  field.  The  West  Indians  have  done  us  good  service.  They 
have  of  late  flogged  slaves  in  Jamaica  for  praying,  and  imprisoned  the 
missionaries,  and  they  have  given  the  nation  to  understand  that  preach- 
ing and  praying  are  offences  not  to  be  tolerated  in  a  slave  colony.  That 


*  Dr.  Philip  had  been  fined  by  a  court  at  the  Cape  for  some  of  his  ex- 
pressions in  the  '  Researches,'  •which  were  condemned  as  libellous  of 
the  colony. 


1831.]  DEATH  OF  HIS  SECOND  SOX. 

is  right — it  exhibits  slavery  in  its  true  colours — it  enforces  your  doctrine, 
that,  if  you  wish  to  teach  religion  to  slaves,  the  first  thing  is,  to  put 
down  slavery. 

"  I  have  100,  perhaps  150  petitions  waiting  for  me  in  London,  but  I 
do  not  leave  home  at  present.  When  another  election  arrives,  and  if 
we  have  a  change  of  ministry,  which  may  come  soon,  the  subject  will 
be  more  thought  of  than  it  has  been  ;  but  I  must  go  to  my  afflicted  wife. 
May  God  be  merciful  to  you  and  bless  you,  and  lift  up  the  light  of  His 
countenance  upon  you. 

"  Your  sincere  and  affectionate  friend, 

"  THOMAS  FOWELL  BUXTON." 

Under  every  mitigation  which  intense  parental  solicitude  could 
supply,  the  invalid  sank  peacefully,  and  died  in  the  17th  year  of 
his  age,  on  the  18th  of  November.  He  was  buried  in  a  retired 
spot  within  the  ruined  chancel  of  Overstrand  church.  Upon  a 
tablet  is  inscribed  his  name  with  that  of  his  brother  and  his  four 
young  sisters  who  had  died  previously  ;  and  the  following  lines 
written  by  his  father : — 

"  Full  of  bright  promise,  youthful,  courteous,  brave ; 
Grace  in  the  form,  mind  beaming  from  the  eye ; 
All  that  a  mother's  fondest  wish  could  crave 
Were  lent  awhile  by  Heav'n,  and  here  they  lie. 

"  Here  lies  the  wreck,  the  spirit  wings  her  flight, — 
The  ransom'd  spirit,  to  the  realms  above ; 
Ranges  unfetter' d  through  the  fields  of  light; 
Rests  in  the  bosom  of  eternal  love ; 

"  Beholds  the  unnumber'd  host  of  angel  powers, 
Who,  round  Jehovah's  throne,  their  anthems  sing, 
And  joins  that  kindred  band,  those  lovely  fiow'rs, 
Cut  down  and  wither'd  in  their  early  spring. 

"  Scenes  by  no  tear  disturb'd,  no  sin  defil'd, 
Scenes  nor  by  heart  conceiv'd,  nor  tongue  confess'd, 
Unveil'd  to  thee,  dear  spirit  of  our  child ; — 
And  we  are  comforted,  for  thou  art  bless'd." 

Two  papers  written  by  Mr.  Buxton  in  the  course  of  the  en- 
suing winter  may  conclude  this  history. 

"  Xorthrepps,  January  9,  1831. 

"  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  my  spirit ;  grace  be  with  me.  This 
is  my  prayer  for  the  year.  May  Christ  be  with  me  and  mine — may  the 


200  EXTRACTS  FROM  [CHAP.  xv. 

Holy  Spirit  of  God  be  my  constant  guide,  guardian,  comforter,  and 
teacher.  Thou  knowest,  O  Lord,  what  depths  of  sorrow  and  bitter 
anxiety  the  last  year  has  produced.  Thou  knowest  that  we  have  gone 
mourning  all  the  year  long,  and  yet  have  we  to  thank  thee  for  some  of 
the  choicest  mercies  we  ever  received.  We  have  parted  with  a  beloved 
child,  who  was  all  that  our  hearts  could  desire,  but  if  he  left  our  arms, 
he  was  received  in  thine  ;  no  doubt  hangs  over  his  blessedness,  and  I 
thank  thee  for  this.  My  heart  is  grateful  for  the  certainty  that  he  is 
now  in  heaven.  Thanks  that  he  was  spared  extreme  pain  ;  thanks  that 
he  was  not  wearied  out  by  his  sufferings;  thanks  that  he  descended  to 
the  grave  with  so  many  glorious  manifestations  of  thy  love !  And,  O 
Lord,  may  it  be  my  unceasing  desire  and  aim  to  reach  the  same  blessed 
haven  ;  may  it  be  the  province  of  thy  Spirit  to  deliver  me  from  all  that 
might  obstruct  my  salvation.  May  I  view  sin  with  detestation,  because 
it  is  offensive  to  thee,  my  gracious  Lord  ;  and  again  with  detestation, 
because  that,  and  that  alone,  can  mar  my  prospects  of  going  where  my 
dearest  Harry  is  gone  before.  Teach  me  then,  O  Lord,  to  subdue  the 
flesh,  to  resist  the  devil,  to  live  wholly  to  my  God  ;  and  may  that  blessed 
Saviour  who  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  redeem  and  ransom 
one  who  pretends  to  no  grounds  of  hope,  who  rejects  all  pleas  of  safety, 
except  through  the  merits  of  that  same  Saviour  Jesus  Christ." 

"  Northrepps,  January  30,  1831. 

"  I  feel  this  morning  more  than  usual  dejection,  partly  occasioned 
perhaps  by  the  prospect  of  leaving  this  quiet  place  on  Tuesday  next, 
and  plunging  once  more  into  the  distracting  cares  and  hurries  of  Parlia- 
ment arid  business  ;  but  still  more  by  a  most  painful  picture  which  sud- 
denly burst  upon  me  yesterday.  I  took  the  boys,  Edward,  Edmund, 
and  the  two  Upchers,  to  shoot  on  the  Warren  hills  opposite  the  coast. 
The  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  the  sea  was  dark  and  fretful.  I 
went  along  the  lower  side,  arid  turned  up  one  of  the  most  distant  hil- 
locks, and  there  I  placed  myself.  And  then  in  a  moment  a  picture 
burst  upon  me,  which  made  this  one  of  the  most  melancholy  moments  of 
the  last  melancholy  year.  On  that  same  hillock,  about  the  same  day 
two  years  back,  I  stood.  Nature  seemed  as  if  she  had  not  changed. 
The  same  surface  of  white  beneath  my  feet,  the  sea  bearing  the  same 
blackening  aspect,  the  gamekeepers  and  dogs  in  the  same  hollow,  and 
the  boys  exhibiting  the  same  eagerness  ;  all  was  the  same  with  one 
sorrowful  exception.  Dearest  Ilarry  was  nearest  to  me  on  the  former 
occasion  ;  his  quick  eye  perceived  a  wild  duck  sailing  near  the  sea.  and 
we  observed  it  alighting  in  a  pond  near  the  farm  below  us.  J  sent  him, 
full  of  life  and  alacrity  as  he  was,  to  secure  the  bird,  while  I  stood  and 
watched  his  manoeuvres  to  get  within  shot  unobserved.  Then  again 


1831.]  HIS  PAPERS.  207 

his  exulting  return  with  the  bird  in  his  hand,  and  the  pleasure  I  felt  at 
his  pleasure — and  now  I  could  sec  nothing  but  the  churchyard  where 
his  bones  repose.  Dear  fellow  !  how  large  a  portion  of  my  hope  and 
joy  lies  there :  how  has  the  world  changed  with  me  since  that  joyful 
hour !  But  there  is  this  comfort,  if  we  are  left  to  sad  recollections,  he 
is  gone  to  eternal  security  and  peace." 


203  THE  ANTI-SLAVERY  MOVEMENT.          [CHAP.  xvi. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

SLAVERI.     1830. 

The  Public  begins  to  arouse  itself —  Increasing  popularity  of  the  subject  — 
Gradual  change  in  the  views  of  the  Leaders  —  Mitigating  measures 
despaired  of —  Determination  to  put  down  Slavery  thoroughly  and  at  once 
—  Spirited  Meetings  in  London  and  Edinburgh  —  The  Government  out- 
stripped by  the  Abolitionists  —  Mr.  Buxtori's  Appeal  to  the  Electors  — 
The  cruelty  of  Slavery  in  its  mildest  form. 

DURING  the  last  three  years  the  leaders  of  the  Anti-slavery 
movement  had  been  forced  into  comparative  repose;  but  the 
movement  itself  went  on.  The  nation  was  turning1  its  attention 
more  and  more  to  the  question  of  slavery  ;  inquiring  into  its  true 
nature,  and  receiving  impressions  from  the  facts  and  arguments 
brought  forward  in  the  '  Anti-slavery  Reporter,'  and  other  pub- 
lications. 

A  few  years  before,  the  idea  of  emancipation  had  been  odious 
both  to  Parliament  and  to  the  people.  "  If,"  said  Mr.  Buxton, 
in  1827,  "a  man  had  a  large  share  of  reputation,  he  would  lose 
the  greater  part  of  it  by  espousing  the  cause  of  the  slaves ;  if  he 
had  a  moderate  share,  he  would  lose  all :  and  that  is  my  case." 
At  that  time  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Macaulay  : — 

"  God  grant  you,  my  dear  friend,  good  health  and  good  spirits;  I, 
like  you,  have  my  share  of  slander.  To-day  I  have  received  a  letter 
from  Joseph  John  Gurney,  telling  me  the  reports  he  has  heard  against 
me,  and  from  our  friends  too  !  No  matter ;  if  slander  against  indi- 
viduals is  the  method  our  adversaries  take  of  justifying  slavery,  they 
will  have  hard  work  in  inventing  lies  before  they  succeed  in  silencing 
us." 

But,  at  the  period  we  have  reached,  although  in  some  quarters 
a  clamorous  spirit  of  opposition  still  prevailed,  yet  the  Anti- 
slavery  feeling  had  been  steadily  making  way.  The  planters,  in 
fact,  by  their  invincible  obstinacy,  had  chilled  the  sympathy 


1830.]  INCREASING  ANTI-SLAVERY  FEELING.  209 

with  which  many  had  been  inclined  to  regard  them.  They  had 
all  along  been  playing  a  losing  game.  The  Government  would 
gladly  have  left  the  colonial  legislatures  to  work  out  for  them- 
selves the  needful  reforms  in  their  system  :  they  had  hurled  back 
the  quiet  suggestions  of  the  Government  with  every  expression 
of  defiance  and  contempt ;  they  had  punished  the  rebel  negroes 
with  a  severity  which  shocked  every  feeling  of  humanity ;  they 
had  condemned  Smith  to  the  gallows,  and  thus  turned  the  Inde- 
pendents against  them  ;  they  forced  Shrewsbury  to  fly  for  his 
life,  and  the  Wesleyans  were  aroused ;  the  Baptist  chapels  were 
razed  to  the  ground,  and  the  Baptists  became  their  enemies. 

Mr.  Buxton  had  early  foreseen  this  result.  In  his  speech  on 
the  persecutions  of  Mr.  Shrewsbury,  he  exclaimed, — 

"  Proceed,  then,  faster  and  faster;  you  are  doing  our  work ;  you  are 
accelerating  the  downfall  of  slavery.  A  few  more  such  triumphs,  a  few 
more  such  speaking  testimonies  to  the  merits  of  your  system,  and  the 
people  of  England  with  one  heart  will  abhor  it,  and  with  one  voice  will 
dissolve  it." 

While  they  were  thus  exasperating  one  class  after  another,  the 
planters  stimulated  the  exertions  of  their  opponents  by  the  vehe- 
ment abuse  which  they  poured  out  upon  them.  To  their  ceaseless 
charges  of  falsehood  and  hypocrisy,  the  Abolitionists  replied  by 
laying  bare  first  one  and  then  another  feature  of  the  system  ;  and 
thus  a  series  of  impressions  was  made  upon  the  public  mind,  which 
at  length  wrought  a  full  conviction. 

In  1830,  these  views,  which  had  been  slowly  expanding, 
suddenly  put  on  a  new  and  more  definite  form. 

Like  all  who  begin  to  climb  towards  great  objects  of  attain- 
ment, Mr.  Buxton  had  at  first  taken  the  lower  eminences  in  the 
path  before  him  to  be  the  highest  it  would  reach.  At  first  he 
had  not  questioned  that  emancipation  must  be  a  disastrous  boon 
to  the  blacks,  unless  previously  trained  to  enjoy  it.  Thus  in  lu's 
opening  speech,  in  1823,  he  expressly  said  : — 

"  The  object  at  which  we  aim  is  the  extinction  of  slavery.  Not, 
however,  the  rapid  termination  of  that  state — not  the  sudden  emancipa- 
tion of  the  negro,  but  such  preparatory  steps,  such  precautionary  mea- 
sures, as  by  slow  degrees,  and  in  the  course  of  years,  first  fitting  and 
qualifying  the  slave  for  the  enjoyment  of  freedom,  shall  gently  conduct 
us  to  the  annihilation  of  slavery." 


210  MITIGATING  MEASURES  [CHAP.  xvi. 

But  this  declaration  had  been  made  seven  years  before,  when, 
to  use  his  own  words,  "  We  did  not  know,  as  we  now  do,  that  all 
attempts  at  gradual  abolition  are  utterly  wild  and  visionary."* 

Since  that  time  the  conduct  of  the  colonists  had  plainly  shown 
that  there  was  no  hope  of  the  negroes  being  raised  to  a  fitness 
for  liberty  while  they  were  still  slaves.  This  could  not  be  done, 
at  any  rate,  without  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  planters  ;  and 
all  co-operation  the  planters  had  refused.  Nay,  even  had  they 
turned  to  the  work  of  improving  their  human  property,  for  the 
sake  of  having  it  taken  from  them,  it  may  yet  be  questioned 
whether  the  inherent  nature  of  the  system  would  not  have  for- 
bidden success.  Either  you  must  have  compulsion,  fruitful  in 
abuses,  and  debasing  to  character,  or  you  must  have  the  natural 
and  wholesome  inducement  of  wages. 

"Slavery,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  upon  one  occasion,!  "  is  labour  extorted 
by  force.  Wages,  the  natural  motive,  are  not  given,  but  their  place  is 
supplied  with  the  whip.  In  this  House  discussions  frequently  take  place 
as  to  what  slavery  is,  and  what  it  is  not ;  but  one  thing  it  is  by  the  con- 
fession of  all  men — it  is  labour  extorted  by  force.  *  *  *  Under  the 
most  mitigated  system,  slavery  is  still  labour  obtained  by  force ;  and,  if 
by  force,  I  know  not  how  it  is  possible  to  stop  short  of  that  degree  of 
force  which  is  necessary  to  extort  involuntary  exertion.  A  motive  there 
must  be,  and  it  comes  at  last  to  this :  inducement  or  compulsion  ; 
wages  or  the  whip." 

The  evil,  then,  being,  from  its  very  nature,  incapable  of  much 
amelioration,  and  the  planters  thus  set  against  all  reform,  it  was 
time  for  the  Anti-slavery  leaders  to  relinquish  the  hope  of  mak- 
ing mitigation  the  first  step  to  freedom.  Not  soon,  nor  without 
a  struggle,  was  that  hope  given  up  ;  so  plausible  does  the  propo- 
sition seem,  that  "  no  people  ought  to  be  free  till  they  are  fit  to 
use  their  freedom."  "  Yet  this  maxim,"  says  a  brilliant  writer 
of  our  day,  "  is  worthy  of  the  fool  in  the  old  story,  who  resolved 
not  to  go  into  the  water  till  he  had  learnt  to  swim.  If  men  are 
to  wait  for  liberty  till  they  become  wise  and  good  in  slavery, 
they  may  indeed  wait  for  ever !"  } 

What,  then,  was  to  be  done?  should  things  be  left  as  they 

*  Mirror  of  Parliament,  May  30, 1833. 

t  Hansard,  vol.  xiii.  p.  44. 

I  Macaulay's  Essays,  vol.  i.  p.  42.     '  Milton.' 


1830.]  DESPAIRED  OF.  211 

were?  To  Mr.  Buxton  the  answer  was  plain.  He  held  it  to  be 
sheer  robbery  for  one  man  to  hold  in  bondage  the  person  of 
another;  he  thought  it  a  crime  in  itself;  he  knew  that  its  off- 
spring was  wrong  and  wickedness,  and  he  could  not  shrink  from 
the  risk  of  doing  it  away. 

The  conviction  that  slavery  could  not  be  slowly  modified,  with 
a  view  to  its  ultimate  extinction,  but  must  be  rooted  out,  and 
that  speedily,  wrought  a  thorough  change  in  the  policy  of  the 
Anti-slavery  leaders.  They  had  been  lopping  the  branches  ; 
they  now  struck  at  the  root.  In  1823  they  had  sought  to  better 
the  slave's  condition,  by  lightening  some  of  his  burdens.  In 
1824,  the  plan  was  mooted  for  the  purchase,  emancipation,  and 
apprenticeship  of  the  negro  children.  The  next  three  years 
were  spent  in  discussions  on  Smith's  death  and  the  treatment  of 
the  rebel  slaves  ;  on  the  oppression  of  the  free  people  of  colour  ; 
on  the  non-admission  of  negro  evidence  ;  on  Shrewsbury's  banish- 
ment, and  the  destruction  of  his  chapel.  During  1828,  1829, 
and  1830,  the  Government  had  been  still  vainly  striving  to  in- 
duce the  colonial  legislatures  to  begin  the  work  of  amelioration 
with  their  own  hands.  But  a  more  stirring  time  was  at  hand. 
The  Abolitionist  party  was  grown  too  strong  and  zealous  to 
shrink  from  any  measures  which  its  leaders  might  bring  forward. 
In  their  minds  bolder  views  had  ripened,  and  needed  only  to  be 
once  spoken  out  in  words,  to  become  principles  of  action.  In 
May,  1830,  a  crowded  meeting  assembled  in  Freemasons'  Hall, 
with  Mr.  Wilberforce  in  the  chair.  The  first  resolution,  moved 
by  Mr.  Buxton,  expressed  that  "  no  proper  or  practicable  means 
should  be  left  unattempted  for  effecting  at  the  earliest  period  the 
entire  abolition  of  slavery  throughout  the  British  dominions." 
It  was  seconded  by  Lord  Milton  (now  Earl  Fitzwilliam),  who 
had  throughout  supported  the  cause  with  all  the  weight  of  his 
station  and  character,  though  by  so  doing  he  had  placed  himself 
in  opposition  to  the  administration  of  which  his  father  was  a 
member.  Other  speeches  and  resolutions  followed  in  the  same 
strain,  till  at  length  Mr.  Pownall  rose  to  declare  in  a  few  vigor- 
ous words  that  temporising  measures  ought  at  once  to  be  aban- 
doned. ''  The  time,"  said  he,  "  is  come  when  we  should  speak 
out,  and  speak  boldly,  our  determination — that  slavery  shall  exist 
no  longer."  These  words  embodied  the  feeling  which  already 

r  2 


212  MEETING  IN  EDINBURGH.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

— i* 

pervaded  the  Anti-slavery  party,  and  from  this  time  immediate 
emancipation  became  its  avowed  object. 

A  meeting  held  in  Edinburgh,  in  the  course  of  the  same 
year,  gave  a  further  impulse  to  public  feeling-.  After  an  elo- 
quent address  from  Mr.  (now  Lord)  Jeffrey,  urging-  the  meeting 
to  aim  at  nothing-  short  of  "  abolishing  slavery  at  the  earliest 
practicable  period,"  Dr.  Andrew  Thomson  broke  in  with  a 
vehement  protest  against  any  further  pretexts  for  delay,  exclaim- 
ing, "  We  ought  to  tell  the  legislature,  plainly  and  strongly, 
that  no  man  has  a  right  to  property  in  man, — that  there  are 
800,000  individuals  sighing  in  bondage,  under  the  intolerable 
evils  of  West  Indian  slavery,  who  have  as  good  a  right  to  be 
free  as  we  ourselves  have, — that  they  ought  to  be  free,  and  that 
they  must  be  made  free  !" 

These  bold  expressions  excited  such  contending  feelings,  that 
the  meeting  broke  up  in  confusion,  but  only  to  reassemble  a  few 
days  later,  when  a  most  eloquent  speech  having  been  made  by 
Dr.  A.  Thomson,  a  petition  for  immediate  emancipation  was 
adopted,  to  which  22,000  signatures  were  rapidly  subscribed. 

But  while  the  Abolitionists  were  for  pushing  forwards,  and 
doing  what  must  be  done,  at  once,  the  Government  had  no 
desire  to  accelerate  its  pace.  It  was  still  determined  to  plod  on 
in  the  old  track  ;  its  patience  had  not  as  yet  been  wearied  out 
by  the  utter  hopelessness  of  the  task  it  had  undertaken.  It  still 
hoped  that  the  planters  might  be  won  over  by  gentle  treatment. 
No  doubt,  they  had  baffled  its  plans,  they  had  trampled  under  foot 
its  suggestions ;  but  it  was  still  fain  to  humour  their  prejudices 
and  put  trust  in  their  good  intentions.  If  patience  be  a  virtue, 
then  was  the  Administration  most  virtuous ;  with  such  fortitude 
did  they  submit  to  the  sufferings  of  the  slaves. 

As  the  Government  was  thus  standing  still,  while  the  Anti- 
slavery  party  was  moving  onwards,  there  could  not  but  arise  a 
breach  between  them  ;  and  accordingly  from  this  time  we  find 
Mr.  Buxton,  not  so  much  wrestling  with  the  West  Indians,  as 
with  the  Government,  itself,  and  spurring  it  on  to  adopt  decisive 
measures. 

During  the  session  of  1830,  nothing  of  moment  was  effected, 
except  that,  on  the  13th  of  July,  Mr.  Brougham  obtained  a  large 
minority  in  favour  of  ultimate  abolition.  On  the  20th  of  the 


1830.]       MR.  BUXTON'S  APPEAL  TO  THE  ELECTORS.  213 

same  month,  three  days  before  Parliament  was  prorogued,  Mr. 
Buxton,  in  his  place  in  the  House,  made  an  earnest  appeal  to  the 
electors  throughout  the  kingdom,  repeating  the  statement  made 
by  Canning  in  1823,  that  "  the  first  step  towards  emancipation 
should  be  the  abolition  of  the  practice  of  flogging  females."  He 
showed  that  even  this  first  step  had  not  yet  been  taken  ;  a  deci- 
sion having  recently  been  made  by  a  large  majority  in  the 
Jamaica  House  of  Assembly,  that  females  should  continue  to  be 
flogged  indecently  ;*  and  he  proved  in  detail  that  each  of  the 
other  abuses,  which  in  1823  it  had  been  proposed  to  mitigate, 
still  existed  in  the  colonies,  unchecked  and  unaltered. 

As  to  the  existence  and  extent  of  these  abuses,  a  few  words  may 
not  be  out  of  place,  for  many  still  believe  that  although  slavery 
was  a  barbarous  institution,  which  it  was  well  to  abolish,  yet 
that  the  negroes  were,  in  the  main,  both  kindly  treated  and  happy. 
This  impression  has  been  deepened  by  the  accounts  given  by 
some  casual  visitors  of  the  West  Indies,  who,  seeing  little  but 
the  surface  of  things,  gave  no  heed  to  the  horrors  that  lurked 
below. |  For  instance,  it  was  repeatedly  asserted  that  the  whip 
was  a  mere  "  emblem  of  authority,"  and  that  the  cases  of  its 
cruel  employment  were  either  fictitious,  or  at  least  extremely 
rare. 

With  regard  to  the  use  of  the  whip,  some  official  statistics  re- 
main, which  show  it  to  have  been  no  imaginary  evil.  But 
before  producing  them,  it  may  be  well  to  observe  that  the  lash 
was,  after  all,  but  one  of  many  hardships  which  the  slave  en- 
dured. His  scanty  supply  of  food  and  clothing  was  a  source  of 
constant  and  bitter  suffering ;  all  his  domestic  ties  were  utterly 
dissolved  ;  every  hinderance  was  thrown  in  the  way  of  his  educa- 
tion ;  his  religious  teachers  were  persecuted ;  his  day  of  rest 
encroached  on;  every  prospect  of  attaining  civil  rights  was  taken 
away ;  however  grievous  the  injury  inflicted,  to  obtain  redress 
was  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible  ;  J  his  hopes  of  emanci- 

*  Mirror  of  Parliament,  July  20,  1830. 

f  There  were  abundance  of  eye-witnesses  on  the  other  side  also.  It  was 
remarkable  that  some  of  the  most  energetic  of  the  Anti-slavery  leaders  (for 
example,  Mr.  Stephen  ami  Mr.  Macaulay)  had  both  studied  slavery,  and  had 
learned  to  abhor  it,  from  dwelling  under  its  shadow  for  years. 

J  In  the  four  crown  colonies  Protectors  of  the  slaves  had  been  appointed. 
But  the  negroes  were  often  flogged  by  these  very  Protectors,  if  tht-y  could 


214  THE  CRUELTY  OF  SLAVERY  [CHAP.  xvi. 

pation  were  opposed  by  the  greatest  obstacles,  and  the  slightest 
offences  subjected  him  to  the  severest  punishments,  to  the  stocks, 
to  the  prison,  to  the  whip. 

But  of  all  his  grievances,  none  was  greater  than  the  intense 
severity  of  his  toil.  In  Jamaica,  for  example,  the  amount  of 
field  labour  allotted  by  law  was  nineteen  hours  a  day  during  crop 
time,  and  fourteen  and  a  half  during  the  remainder  of  the  year 
(with  intervals  of  rest  amounting  to  two  hours  and  a  half  per 
diem).  This  work  had  to  be  done,  it  must  be  remembered,  under 
an  almost  vertical  sun  ;  and  the  mode  of  its  performance  is  thus 
described  : — "  The  slaves  were  divided  into  gangs  of  from  thirty 
to  fifty  men,  generally  selected  of  a  nearly  equal  degree  of 
strength,  but  many  were  often  weak  or  diseased.  They  were 
placed  in  a  line  in  the  field,  with  drivers  (armed  with  the  whip) 
at  equal  distances  ;  and  were  obliged  to  maintain  that  line  through- 
out the  day,  so  that  those  who  were  not  so  strong  as  the  others, 
were  literally  flogged  up  by  the  drivers.  The  motion  of  the  line 
was  rapid  and  constant." 

These  evils  were  general  and  were  not  denied.  For  the  most 
part,  indeed,  they  were  authorised  by  the  colonial  laws,  but  the 
flogging,  of  which  the  Anti-slavery  party  complained,  was  made 
light  of  by  their  antagonists,  as  if  it  were  a  mere  chimera. 
"  How,"  asked  the  West  Indian  leaders,  "  will  the  country  be- 
lieve that  the  proprietors  of  colonial  property — men  of  honour, 
humanity,  and  prudence — would  suffer  their  negroes  to  be  torn 
to  pieces  by  the  lash  ?  "  * 

It  was,  indeed,  suggested  in  reply,  that  these  proprietors  were 
non-resident, — that  they  employed  agents,  and  the  agents  em- 
ployed drivers,  whose  interest  it  was  to  wring  the  most  work  each 
year  from  the  muscles  of  the  slave,  and  to  spend  as  little  as  pos- 
sible upon  him, — though  to  the  ultimate  ruin  of  the  estate,  f 

not  substantiate  a  charge  made  against  a  white  man.  Against  this  iniquity 
Sir  George  Murray  set  his  face  with  his  usual  decision  and  vigour. — (See 
"  Protectors'  Reports.") 

*  In  1823,  Mr.  C.  Ellis,  afterwards  Lord  Seaford  (himself  a  West  Indian 
planter),  stated  his  conviction  that  "  the  whip  was  generally  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  drivers  more  as  a  badge  of  authority  than  as  an  instrument  of 
coercion,"  and  was  considered  "  only  as  a  symbol  of  office ; "  and  this  opinion 
vas  held  in  all  sincerity  by  many  others  of  the  West  Indian  proprietors. — 
(See  Hansard,  May  1823.) 

f  The  following  is  an  extract  from  '  Truths  from  the  West  Indies,'  by 


1830.]  IN  ITS  MILDEST  FORM.  215 

But  \ve  have  to  deal,  not  with  speculations,  but  with  plain  facts. 

The  colonies  of  Demerara,  Berbice,  Trinidad,  and  St.  Lucia 
were,  as  it  is  termed,  "  Crown  Colonies,"  and,  as  such,  were 
under  the  direct  control  of  the  Colonial  Office  at  home  ;  whereas 
in  the  other  islands  the  planters  were  governed  by  Assemblies 
of  their  own.  In  those  four  colonies  alone  had  the  ameliorations 
been  enforced  which  the  other  islands  had  spurned  to  receive. 
Here  alone  had  the  Government  placed  Protectors  of  the  slaves, 
at  whose  hands,  when  wronged,  they  could  seek  redress ;  and, 
among  other  measures  of  precaution,  returns  were  required  of 
the  punishments  inflicted  by  the  magistrates.*  It  was,  then,  in 
the  four  Crown  Colonies  that  slavery  existed  in  its  mildest  form ; 
and  yet,  upon  the  oath  of  the  planters  themselves,  there  were 
registered  in  these  four  colonies,  in  the  two  years  1828-9,  68,921 
punishments,  of  which  25,094  were  registered  as  inflicted  upon 
females.f 

Now  as  the  law  allowed  twenty-five  stripes  to  one  punishment, 
which  limit  was  frequently  passed,  J  we  cannot  (taking  it  at 
twenty  stripes  to  a  punishment)  estimate  the  total  amount  of 
stripes  inflicted  during  1828-9  in  those  four  colonies  at  less  than 
one  million  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

Captain  S.  Hodgson,  of  the  19th  Infantry  :  —  "  There  are  few  bond  fide  pro- 
prietors resident  on  the  spot ;  the  greater  part  of  the  estates  are  mortgaged 
to  nearly  their  full  value,  and  are  superintended  by  some  of  the  mortgagees 
or  their  agents.  These  people  have  no  idea  beyond  grinding  out  of  the  pro- 
perty the  largest  possible  sum  in  the  shortest  possible  period,  perfectly 
indifferent  to  the  eventual  ruin  they  must  entail  by  the  over-working  of  the 
soil ;  and  having  no  sympathy  for  the  slaves,  whom  they  literally  regard  as 
cattle,  they  think  alone  of  the  present  gain  to  themselves.  Where  the  pro- 
prietor resides,  I  have  generally  observed  him  kind,  and  his  people  happy 
and  contented." 

*  It  is  obvious  that  a  large  number  of  punishments  would  remain  unre- 
gistered, through  the  unwillingness  of  their  inflictors  to  record  them ;  thus,  in 
the  Report  of  the  Protector  of  Slaves  in  Demerara,  we  find,  in  1829,  "Mary 
Lowe  convicted  of  tying  up  first  a  little  girl,  and  then  a  little  boy,  by  the 
wrists,  the  one  for  five,  the  other  for  nine  hours,  and  flogging  them  '  unmer- 
cifully;' and  of  other  cruelties."  Yet  her  estate  gave  in  no  returns  of 
punishment. — (See  Parliamentary  Returns.) 

f  See  Protectors'  Reports.    Parliamentary  Papers.        J  Ib. 


216  RELIGIOUS  MEDITATIONS.  [CHAP.  xvir. 


CHAPTER      XVII. 

SLAVERY.         1831. 

Religious  Mediations  —  The  Duke's  Declaration  —  Change  of  Ministry  — 
The  Whig  Government  does  not  take  up  the  subject  of  Slavery  —  Quakers' 
Petition  —  Decrease  of  the  Slave  Population  —  Debate  —  The  Govern- 
ment still  tries  to  lead  the  Colonists  to  adopt  mitigating  Measures  — 
Parliament  dissolved  —  Letter  from  Bellfield  —  Letter  to  a  Son  at  College 
—  Dinner  at  the  Brewery  —  Anecdotes  —  Reflections  —  Death  of  Mr. 
North  —  Correspondence. 

THE  day  before  the   commencement   of  the   session   of  1831 
Mr.  Buxton  thus  implores  help  and  guidance  from  on  high  : — 

"  January  30,  1831. 

"  Give  me,  O  Lord,  thy  help,  thy  present,  and  evident,  and  all- 
sufficient  help,  in  pleading  the  cause  of  the  slave.  Let  the  light  of  thy 
countenance  shine  upon  me.  Give  me  wisdom  to  select  the  proper 
course,  and  courage  to  pursue  it,  and  ability  to  perform  my  part ;  and 
turn  the  hearts  of  the  powerful,  so  that  they  may  be  prone  to  fee)  for, 
and  prompt  to  help,  those  whose  bodies  and  whose  souls  are  in  slavery. 
'  If  ye  ask  anything  in  my  name,'  said  our  Saviour,  '  I  will  do  it.'  In 
His  prevailing  name,  and  for  His  merits,  do  this,  O  Lord  God  !  *  *  * 
But  whatever  may  be  thy  will  in  my  secular  concerns,  give  me  patience, 
faith,  thankfulness,  confidence ;  a  sense  of  thy  Divine  Majesty,  of  the 
benignity  of  Christ,  a  love  for  thy  Scriptures,  a  love  of  prayer,  and  a 
heart  firmly  fixed  on  immortality.  May  I  remember  that,  ere  the  year 
closes,  I  may  be  snatched  away  and  hurried  before  thy  judgment-seat ! 
Be  with  me,  then,  in  health  and  in  sickness,  in  life  and  in  death,  in 
events  prosperous  and  adverse,  in  my  intercourse  with  my  family,  in  my 
public  duties,  in  my  study.  Be  Thou  my  strong  habitation  to  which  I 
may  continually  resort.  Be  with  me  and  mine  every  day  and  every 
hour  during  this  year." 

The  recent  political  changes  might  have  seemed  to  augur 
well  for  the  cause  of  emancipation.  The  Duke  of  "Wellington's 
celebrated  declaration  against  Reform  had  broken  up  his  mi- 


1831.]  APATHY  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT.  217 

nistry.     That  of  Earl  Grey  had  succeeded,  in  which  the  post  of 
Lord  Chancellor  was  filled  by  Lord  Brougham. 
Yet  Dr.  Lushington  writes, — 

"  January  1831. 

"  For  the  sake  of  all  the  great  interests  of  humanity,  I  trust  that  you 
may  now  resume  your  public  duties.  I  am  of  opinion  that  this  is  a 
fearful  crisis  for  many  of  the  great  objects  you  have  at  heart.  Without 
great  exertion  both  slavery  and  capital  punishment  will  be  almost  un- 
altered. I  have  but  little  confidence  in  the  merely  voluntary  good-will 
of  the  new  Government,  and  feel  strongly  the  necessity  that  they 
should  be  taught  that  the  voice  of  the  people  will  not  admit  of  dilatory 
or  half  measures." 

Again,  soon  afterwards — 

"  The  prospect  is  not  encouraging,  so  far  as  relates  to  the  Govern- 
ment, but  with  you,  who  have  cast  your  lot  in  these  troubled  waters, 
and  will  never  fall  back,  this  can  only  be  a  reason  for  greater  and  more 
strenuous  exertion.  For  myself,  I  must  add,  that  though  I  am  griev- 
ously disappointed  with  them,  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  the  feeling  of 
the  people  so  much  surpasses  my  former  expectations,  that  I  am  con- 
fident you  may  now  rely  with  safety  on  their  firm  and  continued  support. 
The  impression  is  not  that  of  a  momentary  excitement ;  knowledge  of 
the  subject  has  increased,  and  is  increasing  ;  and  if  the  Government 
disregard  the  opinions  of  the  people  on  slavery,  I  believe,  as  well  as 
hope,  they  will  have  reason  to  repent.  I  see  the  difficulties  of  your 
career.  I  meditate  much  upon  them ;  but  with  such  a  cause,  your 
powers,  and  leisure,  there  never  was  a  nobler  course  for  man  to  run. 
Succeed  the  cause  must ;  it  is  a  question  of  time  only.  *  *  *  Still, 
however,  time  is  of  inestimable  value,  and  he  who  can  accelerate  the 
event  one  year,  a  single  year,  will  have  well  spent  his  life." 

With  the  Reform  question  on  their  hands,  there  seemed  but 
little  chance  that  the  Whig  Government,  however  friendly  to 
emancipation,  would  undertake  its  accomplishment.  But  Mr. 
Buxton  would  leave  no  chance  untried.  On  the  25th  of  March, 
in  stating  his  intention  to  move  a  resolution  for  the  complete 
abolition  of  slavery,  he  declared  that  he  would  "most  readily 
leave  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  Government,  if  Government 
would  take  it  up  ;"*  but  to  this  offer  no  reply  was  made. 

*  Hansard  for  that  date. 


218        MR.  BUXTON  DISTRUSTS  AMELIORATIONS.   [CHAP  xvn. 

It  is  to  this  subject  that  the  following  letter  alludes,  addressed 
to  a  member  of  the  Administration  : — 

"  April  6,  1831. 

*  *  *  "  I  feel  bound  to  tell  you  that  upon  the  most  atten- 
tive consideration  I  shall  feel  compelled  to  withhold  my  concurrence 
from  any  resolutions  which  do  not  declare  'the  extinction  of  slavery'  to 
be  their  object.  I  am  aware  that  I  do  not  go  farther  in  detestation  of 
slavery  than  his  Majesty's  Government ;  but  perhaps  a  long  and  labo- 
rious investigation  may  have  led  me  to  entertain  a  deeper  sense  of  the 
practical  evils  of  the  system.  In  my  mind,  these  amount  to  nothing 
short  of  a  crime  ;  and,  if  it  be  a  crime,  the  way  to  deal  with  it  is,  not 
to  strip  it  of  some  of  its  worst  features,  but  to  abandon  it  altogether. 

"I  confess  I  distrust  all  ameliorations  of  slavery.  If  the  Government 
resolve  to  undertake  them,  theirs  will  be  the  responsibility  ;  and  if  they 
succeed,  theirs  exclusively  the  merit. 

"  I  believe  their  intentions  to  be  perfectly  honest,  and  that  they  will 
act  resolutely  in  carrying  those  intentions  into  execution.  For  these 
and  for  other  reasons,  it  gives  me  the  greatest  pain  to  be  unable  to 
yield  my  opinions  to  theirs.  I  am  sure  if  I  act  thus,  it  is  not  from 
obstinacy,  or  from  unwillingness  to  meet  their  wishes  ;  but  it  is  from 
fidelity  to  the  cause  itself,  and  to  the  friends  of  the  cause,  to  whom  I 
am  pledged  to  bring  forward  a  motion,  not  for  the  mitigation,  but  for 
the  extinction,  of  slavery.  I  beg  you  to  believe  that  it  is  with  reluc- 
tance I  thus  bring  myself  forward,  and  that  it  is  only  as  acting  in  some 
sort  on  behalf  of  a  large  body  in  the  nation,  that  I  presume  to  trouble 
you  beforehand  with  the  line  of  conduct  I  shall  adopt." 

A  few  days  later,  in  presenting,  among  500  petitions  against 
slavery,  one  subscribed  by  the  Society  of  Friends,  he  said  : — 

"  I  have  great  pleasure  in  presenting  this  petition  from  that  body  ;  as 
they  were  the  very  first  persons  in  the  country  who  promulgated  the 
doctrine  that  the  buying,  selling,  or  holding  of  slaves  was  contrary  to 
the  Christian  religion.  Forty  years  ago  they  presented  the  first  petition 
for  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade,  and  eight  years  ago  they  presented 
the  first  petition  for  the  abolition  of  slavery."* 

It  was  a  part  of  Mr.  Buxton's  policy  to  avail  himself  as  little 
as  possible  of  the  evidence  furnished  by  men  favourable  to  eman- 

*  George  Fox  (the  founder  of  Quakerism),  when  in  Barbadoes,  urged  the 
overseers  "  to  deal  mildly  and  gently  with  the  negroes,  and  not  to  use 
cruelty  towards  them,  as  the  manner  of  some  has  been  and  is." — (See  'A 
Popular  Life  of  George  Fox.'  C.  Gilpin,  1847.) 


1831.]  MR.  PRINGLE.  219 

cipation  ;  he  always  strove  to  draw  his  statements  from  the 
speeches  and  writings  of  his  opponents,  or  immediately  from 
official  reports.  In  this  branch  of  his  labours  (and  it  was  no 
small  one)  he  derived  much  assistance  from  the  great  knowledge 
and  practised  sagacity  of  Mr.  Macaulay,  and  also  from  the  secre- 
tary of  the  Anti-slavery  Society,  Mr.  Thomas  Pringle,  whose 
poetical  writings  are  well  known.  Mr.  Pringle's  originality, 
conjoined  with  other  qualities,  as  useful  if  less  brilliant ;  his 
admirable  English  style  ;  his  diligence,  tact,  and  temper,  ren- 
dered good  service  to  the  cause.  Being  ready  to  catch  a  hint 
from  any  quarter,  they  frequently  tracked  documents  of  great 
value  into  the  Colonial  Office,  and  then  by  reiterated  motions 
Mr.  Buxton  usually  succeeded  in  bringing  them  to  light. 

In  this  way  vast  funds  of  information  had  been  collected;  and 
between  the  sessions  of  1830-31,  Mr.  Buxton  ransacked  all  his 
stores  for  evidence  relative  to  the  decrease  of  the  slave  population. 
Having  completed  his  calculations,  he  laid  them  before  the  House 
on  the  15th  of  April. 

In  the  commencement  of  his  speech  he  assured  the  House  that 
lie  had  not  the  slightest  feeling  of  hostility  towards  the  West 
Indian  proprietors,  nor  the  slightest  disposition  to  cast  reproach 
upon  them ;  and  he  disclaimed  any  M'ish  to  rest  his  argument  on 
cases  of  individual  atrocity,  though  abundance  of  them  might  be 
brought  forward. 

He  proceeds : — 

"  But,  amid  the  conflicting  statements  as  to  the  condition  of  the 
slaves,  it  would  be  extremely  desirable  to  find  any  fair  and  unequivocal 
test  of  their  condition.  There  is  such  a  test — in  the  rate  at  which  the 
slave  population  has  increased  or  decreased.  It  is  a  doctrine  admitted 
by  all  parties,  that,  under  all  circumstances,  except  those  of  extreme 
misery,  population  must  increase.  Such  is  the  law  of  nature,  and  it  is 
conformable  to  the  experience  of  all  mankind.  That  law  of  increase 
may  be  interrupted,  but  it  can  be  interrupted  only  by  causes  of  extreme 
misery. 

"  The  question,  then,  is,  whether  in  the  fourteen  sugar-growing 
colonies  the  slave  population  has  increased,  has  been  stationary,  or  has 
decreased?  The  answer  5s,  it  has  not  increased,  it  has  not  been  sta- 
tionary, ft  has  decreased.  Not  only  has  it  decreased,  but  it  has  decreased 
at  a  rate  so  rapid,  that  I  confess  it  surprises  me,  and  I  am  sure  will 


220  DECREASE  OF  SLAVE  POPULATION.      [CHAP.  xvir. 

astonish  the  House.     In  the  last  ten  years  the  slave  population  in  those 
fourteen  colonies  has  decreased  by  the  number  of  45,800  persons."* 

In  Tobago,  within  ten  years,  one  sixth  of  the  slave  population 
had  perished.  In  Demerara  it  had  diminished  by  12,000,  in 
Trinidad  by  6000,  within  twelve  years.  "  The  fact  is,"  he  said, 
"  that  in  Trinidad,  as  the  late  Mr.  Marryat  observed,  '  the  slaves 
die  off  like  rotten  sheep.'  "  These  diminutions  were  exclusive 
of  manumissions. 

He  then  showed  that,  while  in  slavery  the  numbers  of  the 
negroes  decreased  thus  rapidly,  in  freedom  they  were  doubling. 
For  example,  the  free  black  population  of  Demerara  had  (exclu- 
sive of  manumissions)  been  increased  by  half  in  fourteen  years. 
And  the  free  negroes  of  Hayti  had  increased  by  520,000  in 
twenty  years,  that  is,  their  numbers  had  more  than  doubled. 

"Now,  Sir,"  he  continued,  "if  the  blacks  in  slavery  had  increased 
as  the  free  blacks  have  increased,  the  slave  population  should  have  added 
in  the  last  ten  years  200,000  to  its  numbers ;  whereas  that  number  has 
been  diminished  by  45,000.  To  keep  pari  passu  with  the  free  blacks, 
the  blacks  in  slavery  should  have  increased  20,000  a  year;  whereas  they 
have  decreased  4000  a  year.  They  should  have  increased  fifty  a  day, 
whereas  they  have  decreased  ten  a  day.  For  this  effect,  this  striking 
exception  to  the  universal  law  of  nature,  there  must  be  a  specific  cause. 
It  could  not  occur  by  accident.  What  is  the  cause  ?  I  will  tell  the 
House  what  it  is  not.  It  is  not,  as  it  has  been  affirmed  to  be,  any  dis- 
proportion between  the  sexes ;  any  deficiency  in  the  number  of  females. 
In  1814,  the  number  of  female  slaves  exceeded  that  of  males  by  5000. 
The  cause,  therefore,  of  this  decrease  in  the  slave  population,  is  not  any 
disproportion  between  the  sexes  :  it  is  not  war  sweeping  away  its  thou- 
sands; it  is  not  climate  ;  it  is  not  soil.  If  any  one  thinks  that  the  last 
two  circumstances  may  operate  injuriously  upon  the  slave  population,  I 
ask  him  why,  under  the  same  circumstances,  the  free  black  population 
has  so  much  increased  ?  Sir,  the  real  cause  is  the  forced  labour  in  tJie 
sugar  colonies,  and  nothing  else.  The  law  of  nature  would  be  too 


*  In  1835  numerous  papers  relating  to  the  statistics  of  the  colonial  de- 
pendencies of  Great  Britain  were  ordered  by  the  House  of  Commons  to  be 
printed.  Amongst  them  appeared  some  tables,  which  showed  the  yearly 
decrease  of  the  slave  population  in  eleven  West  India  islands,  during  a  pe- 
riod of  twelve  years  previous  to  emancipation.  They  differ  in  some  d'-give 
from  those  on  which  Mr.  Buxton  founded  lib  argument,  but  they  iiive  a  xtill 
t/reater  decrease.  By  these  tables  it  appears  that  in  those  eleven  islands 
the  decrease  in  the  number  of  slaves  (exclusively  of  manumissions)  had 
been  60,119. — (See  Pad.  Papers  in  the  Appendix.)" 


1831.]  DECREASE  OF  SLAVE  POPULATION.  221 

strong  for  any  other  cause.  It  is  too  strong  for  climate,  witness  Ben- 
coolen.  It  is  too  strong:  for  war,  witness  Africa.  It  is  too  strong  for 
savage  life,  witness  the  Maroons  of  Jamaica.  It  is  too  strong  for  vice 
and  misery,  witness  Hayti.  All  such  impediments  yield  to  the  law  of 
nature ;  but  the  law  of  nature  yields  to  the  cultivation  of  sugar  in  the 
sii'jar  colonies.  Where  the  blacks  are  free,  they  increase.  Climate, 
soil,  war,  vice,  misery,  are  too  feeble  to  withstand  the  current  of  nature. 
Cut  let  there  be  a  change  in  only  one  circumstance  ;  let  the  population 
be  the  same  in  every  respect,  only  let  them  be  slaves  instead  of  freemen, 
and  the  currency  is  immediately  stopped. 

"  I  ho|>e  the  resolutions  I  intend  to  submit  will  appear  temperate, 
although  in  them  I  declare  myself  no  friend  to  ameliorating  measures, 
in  which  I  have  no  faith.  I  do  not  think  that  by  such  measures  the 
mortality  can  be  repressed.  Besides,  Sir,  I  must  tell  you,  that  I  look 
upon  the  enslaving  of  our  fellow-men  as  a  crime  of  the  deepest  dye  ; 
and  I  therefore  consider  that  it  should  be  dealt  with,  not  by  palliatives, 
but  by  destroying  it  altogether." 

He  concluded  by  moving  the  following  resolutions  : — 

"  That  in  the  resolutions  of  May,  1823,  the  House  distinctly  recog- 
nised it  to  be  their  solemn  duty  to  take  measures  for  the  abolition  of 
slavery  in  the  British  colonies ;  that  in  the  eight  years  which  have 
since  elapsed,  the  colonial  assemblies  have  not  taken  measures  to  carry 
the  resolutions  of  the  House  into  effect ;  that,  deeply  impressed  with  a 
sense  of  the  impropriety,  inhumanity,  and  injustice  of  colonial  slavery, 
this  House  will  proceed  to  consider  of  and  adopt  the  best  means  of 
effecting  its  abolition  throughout  the  British  dominions." 

The  motion  was  seconded  in  an  able  speech  by  Lord  Morpeth. 

Lord  Althorp  stated  that,  although  he  could  not  consent  to 
tliis  motion,  he  thought  it  was  time  "to  adopt  other  measures 
with  the  colonists  than  those  of  mere  recommendations,"  and 
that  he  should  propose  that  a  distinction  in  the  rate  of  duties 
should  be  made  in  favour  of  those  colonies  which  should  comply 
with  the  wishes  of  Government  as  to  amelioration.  After  an 
animated  discussion,  the  debate  was  adjourned.  vMr.  O'Connell, 
who  throughout  gave  a  steady  and  energetic  support  to  the  Anti- 
slavery  cause,  came  across  the  House,  and  said,  "  Buxton,  I  see 
land."  The  prognostic  was  true ;  for  although,  owing  to  the 
dissolution  of  Parliament,  the  debate  was  not  resumed,  and  the 
motion  therefore  dropped,  yet  to  the  argument  founded  upon  the 
decrease  of  population  may  be  attributed  more  than  to  anything 


222  DECREASE  OF  SLAVE  POPULATION.      [CHAP.  xvn. 

else  the  speedy  downfall  of  slavery.  The  force  of  that  argument 
was  well  understood  in  Parliament ;  accordingly  it  was  vigorously 
sifted  by  the  opposite  party ;  but,  having  been  drawn  from  the 
returns  of  registration  sworn  to  by  the  planters  themselves,  it 
was  found  impossible  to  shake  it.  The  appalling  fact  was  never 
denied,  that  at  the  time  of  the  abolition  of  the  Slave  trade,  in 
1807,  the  number  of  slaves  in  the  "West  Indies  was  800,000:  in 
1830  it  was  700,000.  That  is  to  say,  in  twenty-three  years  it 
had  diminished  by  100,000.* 

It  may  here  be  well  to  mention,  though  it  be  in  anticipation  of 
our  history,  how  fully  Mr.  Buxton's  inferences  were  confirmed 
by  subsequent  events.  In  1834  emancipation  took  place,  the 
law  of  nature  resumed  its  force,  the  population  began  to  increase, 
and  the  census  in  1844  proves  that  in  the  twelve  previous  years 
the  black  population  in  fourteen  of  the  islands  had  increased  by 
54,000.f 

The  Abolitionists  are  often  blamed  for  the  present  want  of 
labour  in  the  West  Indies.  It  should  be  remembered,  however, 
that,  had  slavery  not  been  abolished,  the  population  (taking  the 
decrease  at  its  average  rate  before  emancipation)  would  by  this 
time  have  diminished  by  mucli  more  than  100,000  instead  of 
having  increased  in  the  same  proportion. 

At  the  end  of  April  Parliament  was  dissolved,  and  the  country 
was  hurried  into  a  whirlpool  of  reform  agitation,  in  which  all 
other  interests  were  merged  ;  so  that  Mr.  Buxton  might  think 
himself  fortunate  in  having  forced  upon  the  ear  of  Parliament 
the  short  but  impressive  argument  which  has  been  laid  before 
the  reader.  The  approaching  election  rendered  it  necessary  for 
Mr.  Buxton  to  visit  Weymouth.  He  thus  writes  home  from 
Bellfield  on  the  28th  of  April,  1831  :  — 

"  I  was  up  at  seven  o'clock  this  morning,  and  have  been  taking 
another  charming  walk  in  the  shrubbery,  looking  at  the  sea,  which  is 
splendid,  and  enjoying  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians.  At  nine  o'clock 
we  breakfast,  and  at  ten  I  renew  my  canvass,  which  was  very  successful 
yesterday. 

*  See  Anti-slavery  Reporter,  vol.  v.  p.  264. 

f  Not  more  than  fou rteeii  of  the  islands  sent  in  their  returns  of  popula- 
tion. Had  they  been  received  from  the  whole  twenty-one  the  increase 
would  of  course  have  been  far  greater,  especially  as  Jamaica  is  not  included. 
— (See  Pad.  Papers  in  the  Appendix.) 


1831.]  ADVICE  ON  PRAYER.  223 

"  I  found  all  my  constituents  eager  for  Reform  beyond  conception; 
had  I  voted  against  it  I  should  hardly  have  got  any  support.  Is  not 
this  unexpected  ? 

"  The  weather  is  delightful,  and  I  thoroughly  enjoy  a  taste  of  spring 
in  the  country.  The  walks  about  are  lined  with  quantities  of  flowers  ; 
it  is  a  charming  place !  Give  my  love  to  my  secretary,*  and  tell  her 
that  I  find  an  attorney's  clerk  a  poor  substitute. 

"  I  hope  you  will  enjoy  Simeon's  visit.  I  deeply  lament  missing  it ; 
I  was  in  great  hopes  we  should  have  got  a  great  deal  of  good  out  of  the 
old  Apostle.  Pray  get  all  you  can,  and  keep  a  piece  for  me." 

TO  HIS  ELDEST  SOX,  AT  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE. 

"  Devonshire  St.,  May  15,  1831. 

"  My  mind  has  much  turned  towards  you  of"  late,  and  I  have  thought 
more  than  you  might  suppose  of  your  approaching  examination.  Not 
that  I  am  very  solicitous  about  the  result,  except  so  far  as  your  heart 
may  be  set  on  success.  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  have  you  damped  and 
disappointed,  but  for  myself  I  shall  be  just  as  well  satisfied  with  you,  if 
you  are  low  in  the  last  class,  as  if  you  are  high  in  the  first. 

"  But  I  have  a  piece  of  advice  to  give  you,  with  regard  to  the  exami- 
nation, which  I  am  sure  will,  if  attended  to,  be  of  service ;  and  if  you 
remember  it,  and  act  upon  it,  it  will  be  useful  whenever,  during  your 
future  life,  you  are  about  to  engage  in  anything  of  more  than  usual  im- 
portance. Go  to  God  in  prayer;  lay  before  him,  as  before  your  wisest 
and  best  friend,  your  care,  your  burtlien,  and  your  wishes  ;  consult  him, 
ask  his  advice,  entreat  his  aid,  and  commit  yourself  to  him ;  but  ask 
especially,  that  there  may  be  this  restraint  upon  the  efficacy  of  your 
prayers, — that  His  will,  and  not  your  wishes,  may  govern  the  result ; 
that  what  you  desire  may  be  accomplished,  provided  He  sees  it  to  be 
best,  and  not  otherwise. 

"  The  experience  of  my  life  is,  that  events  always  go  right  when 
they  are  undertaken  in  the  spirit  of  prayer.  I  have  found  assistance 
given  and  obstructions  removed,  in  a  way  which  has  convinced  me  that 
some  secret  power  has  been  at  work.  But  the  assurance  of  this  truth 
rests  on  something  stronger  than  my  own  experience.  Scripture  is  full 
of  declarations  of  the  prevalence  and  efficacy  of  prayer,  and  of  the 
safety  of  those  who  resort  to  it.  '  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord,  and 
he  shall  bring  it  to  pass.'  '  This  poor  man  cried,  and  the  Lord  heard 
him,  and  saved  him  out  of  all  his  troubles.'  '  Wait  on  the  Lord,  be  of 
good  courage,  and  he  will  strengthen  thy  heart ;  wait,  I  say,  on  the 
Lord.' 

*  His  eldest  daughter. 


224  BREWERY  DINNER.  [CHAP.  xvu. 

"  It  is  not  often  I  give  you  my  advice  ;  attend  to  it  in  this  instance. 
Depend  upon  it,  prayer  is  the  best  preparation  you  can  have  for  your 
examination,  and  for  everything  else." 

In  June,  1831,  several  members  of  the  Government,  and  other 
gentlemen,  came  to  look  over  the  Brewery  in  Spitalfields,  and 
afterwards  dined  there  with  Mr.  Buxton,  professedly  on  beef- 
steaks, cooked  in  one  of  the  furnaces.  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney  gives  the 
following  account  of  the  party  : — 

"Earlham,  12  mo.  23rd,  1831. 

*  *  *  «  The  Premier,  grave  and  thoughtful  as  he  seemed,  did  great 
justice  to  our  dinner.  '  Milord  Grey,'  cried  the  Spanish  General  Alava 
to  him,  as  he  was  availing:  himself  of  a  fresh  supply  of  beef-steaks 
(pronounced  by  the  Lord  Chancellor  to  be  '  perfect ') — '  Milord  Grey, 
vous  etes  a  votre  sixieme' 

"  The  contrast  between  Lord  Grey  and  Alava  was  curious  ;  the  for- 
mer, the  dignified,  stiff,  sedate  British  nobleman  of  the  old  school ;  the 
latter,  the  entertaining,  entertained,  and  voluble  foreigner.  He  had 
been  the  faithful  companion  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  through  most  of 
his  campaigns,  and  now  had  displayed  his  usual  energy  by  coming  up  all 
the  way  from  Walmer  Castle,  near  Dover,  in  order  to  help  in  devouring 
the  product  of  the  stoke-hole  in  Spitalfields. 

"  The  Lord  Chancellor  was  in  high  glee  :  he  came  in  a  shabby  black 
coat,  and  very  old  hat;  strangely  different  from  the  starred,  gartered, 
and  cocked-hat  dignity  of  the  venerable  Premier.  *  *  *  It  was  my 
agreeable  lot  to  sit  between  Lord  Grey  and  Dr.  Lushington,  and  the 
latter  being  occupied  by  his  friend  on  the  other  side,  I  was  left  to  con- 
verse with  the  Premier,  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  doing  for  nearly 
two  hours.  *  *  *  We  talked  of  his  long  political  course,  and  Lord 
Shaftesbury,  who  sat  next  to  him  on  the  other  side,  complimented  him 
on  the  subject. 

"  Lord  Grey.  '  I  came  into  Parliament  for  Northumberland  when  I 
was  two-and-  twenty,  and  I  have  been  forty-five  years  a  senator.'  Of 
course  it  was  easy  to  draw  the  inference  that  he  was  sixty-seven  years  of 
age.  On  my  expressing  the  interest  1  felt  for  him,  and  even  sympathy, 
under  the  burthen  he  was  bearing,  he  replied,  '  I  am  much  too  old  for 
it.  I  would  have  refused  the  undertaking,  if  I  could  have  done  so  con- 
sistently with  my  duty.' 

"  Our  next  subject  was  parliamentary  eloquence.  I  asked  him  who, 
amidst  the  vast  variety  of  orators  whom  he  had  been  accustomed  to  hear, 
appeared  to  him  to  be  the  best  speaker  and  most  able  debater. 

"  Lord  Grey.  '  Beyond  all  doubt  and  comparison,  Fox.  His  elo- 
quence was  irresistible.  It  came  from  his  heart,  and  produced  a  corre- 
sponding effect  on  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.' 


1S31.]  EARL  GREY— LORD  BROUGHAM.  225 

"  I  asked  his  opinion  of  Sheridan.  The  answer  was,  '  He  was  very 
able,  but  could  not  speak  without  preparation.' 

"  I  ventured  to  insinuate  that  there  was  no  part  of  a  Premier's  office 
more  responsible  than  that  of  making  bishops.  He  assented,  adding, 
'  You  know  I  have  had  none  to  make  at  present.'  We  talked  of  the 
Bishop  of  Norwich.*  Lord  Grey  expressed  his  admiration  of  his  con- 
duct and  character,  though  he  only  knew  him  in  his  public  capacity. 
'  I  fear  the  bishop  is  too  old  to  accept  any  offer  that  1  can  make  him, 
but  I  assure  you  that  the  very  first  and  best  thing  that  I  have  to  give 
away  shall  be  at  his  service.' 

"  This  declaration  has  since  been  fully  verified,  by  his  offering  to  the 
bishop  the  see  of  Dublin,  which  the  latter,  as  had  been  anticipated, 
refused;  observing,  in  the  words  of  old  Erasmus  to' the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  that  dignity  conferred  upon  him  would  be  like  a  burden  laid  on 
a  falling  horse  :  '  Sarcina  equo  collabenti  imposita.' 

"  When  the  dinner  was  ended,  I  quitted  my  post  by  Lord  Grey,  and 
joined  Buxton,  Lord  Brougham,  and  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  at  the  top 
of  the  table.  Buxton  was  telling  a  story  on  the  subject  of  Reform  (the 
only  way  in  which  that  subject  could  be  mentioned,  as  the  dinner  was 
not  political,  and  Tories  were  present).  '  A  stage-coachman,'  said  he, 
'  was  driving  a  pair  of  sorry  horses,  the  other  day,  from  London  to 
Greenwich.  One  of  them  stumbled,  and  nearly  fell.  "  Get  up,  you 
borouglimonger'mtj  rascal,  you !"  said  the  coachman  to  the  poor  beast,  as 
he  laid  the  whip  across  his  back.'  The  Chancellor  laughed  heartily  at 

this  story.     '  How  like  my  Lord there  was  the  old  horse  !'  said  he 

to  me,  laughing,  and  putting  his  hands  before  his  face, — Lord  • 

sitting  opposite  to  us. 

"  Buxton  now  left  us,  to  talk  with  Lord  Grey,  whom  he  very  much 
delighted  by  praising  Lord  Howick's  speech  upon  slavery.  It  was  a 
speech  which  deserved  praise  for  its  honesty  and  feeling,  as  well  as  for 
its  talent.  But  the  old  Premier  seemed  to  think  that  his  son  had  been 
carried  by  his  zeal  rather  too  far. 

"  Something  led  us  (Lord  Brougham  and  myself)  to  talk  about  Paloy, 
and  I  mentioned  (he  story  of  his  having  on  his  death-bed  condemned 
his  '  Moral  Philosophy,'  and  declared  his  preference  for  the  '  Horse 
Paulinas '  above  all  his  other  works.  This  led  Brougham  to  speak  of 
both  those  works.  '  Did  you  ever  hear  that  King  George  III.  was 
requested  by  Mr.  Pitt  to  make  Paley  a  bishop  ?  The  King  refused  ; 
and,  taking  down  the  "  Moral  Philosophy"  from  the  shelf,  he  showed 
Pitt  the  passage  in  which  he  justifies  subscription  to  articles  not  fully 
credited,  on  the  ground  of  expediency.  "  This,"  said  the  King,  "  is  my 


*  Dr.  Bathurst. 


226  BREWERY  DINNER.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

reason  lor  not  making  him  a  bishop." '  Lord  Grey  overheard  the  Chan- 
cellor's story  and  confirmed  it ;  '  but,'  added  the  Chancellor,  '  I  believe 
the  true  reason  why  George  III.  refused  to  make  Paley  a  bishop  was, 
that  he  had  compared  the  divine  right  of  kings  to  the  divine  right  of 
constables  !'  *  *  *  The  Chancellor  was  very  cordial,  and  we  were 
all  delighted  with  his  entertaining  rapidity  of  thought,  ready  wit,  and 
evident  good  feeling.  Nor  was  it  possible  to  be  otherwise  than  pleased 
with  all  our  guests,  with  whom  we  parted,  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night, 
after  a  flowing,  exhilarating,  and  not  altogether  uninstructive  day." 

Mr.  Buxton  subjoins, — 

"  Our  party  at  the  Brewery  went  off  in  all  respects  to  my  satisfac- 
tion. Talleyrand  could  not  come,  having  just  received  an  account  of 
Prince  Leopold  being  elected  king  of  Belgium.  Brougham  said  this 
was  a  severe  disappointment,  as  his  Excellency  never  eats  or  drinks  but 
once  a-day,  and  had  depended  on  my  beef-steaks. 

"  The  party  arrived  at  about  six  o'clock,  and  consisted  of  the  Lord 
Chancellor,  Lord  Grey,  Duke  of  Richmond,  Marquis  of  Cleveland, 
Lords  Shaftesbury,  Sefton,  Howick,  Durham,  and  Duncannon,  General 
Alava,  S.  Gurney,  Dr.  Lushington,  Spring  Rice,  W.  Brougham,  J.  J. 
Gurney,  R.  Hanbury,  &c.,  twenty-three  in  all. 

"  I  first  led  them  to  the  steam  engine  ;  Brougham  ascended  the  steps, 
and  commenced  a  lecture  upon  steam-power,  and  told  many  entertaining 
anecdotes ;  and  when  we  left  the  engine  he  went  on  lecturing  as  to  the 
other  parts  of  the  machinery,  so  that  Joseph  Gurney  said  he  understood 
brewing  better  than  any  person  on  the  premises.  I  had  Mr.  Gow  up 
w  ith  his  accounts,  to  explain  how  much  our  horses  each  cost  per  annum  ; 
and  Brougham  entered  into  long  calculations  upon  this  subject.  To 
describe  the  variety  of  his  conversation  is  impossible — 

'  From  grave  to  gay,  from  lively  to  severe.' 

"  At  dinner  I  gave  but  two  toasts,  '  The  King,'  and  '  The  memory 
of  George  III.,'  whose  birthday  it  was.  We  had  no  speeches ;  but 
conversation  flowed,  or  rather  roared  like  a  torrent,  at  our  end  of  the 
table.  The  Chancellor  lost  not  a  moment ;  lie  was  always  eating, 
drinking,  talking,  or  laughing;  his  powers  of  laughing  seemed  on  a 
level  with  his  ofher  capacities.  *  *  * 

"  Talking  of  grace  before  dinner  he  said,  '  I  like  the  Dutch  grace 
best ;  they  sit  perfectly  still  and  quiet  for  a  minute  or  two.'  I  thought 
it  very  solemn.  Again,  '  I  am  a  great  admirer  of  the  Church  ;  but  the 
(•loriry  have  one  fault — they  grow  immortal  in  this  world.  You  cannot 
think  how  they  trouble  me  by  living  so  long.  I  have  throe  upwards  of 
ninety  years  old  ;  bedridden,  bereft  of  understanding,  incapable  of  en- 


1831.]  LORD  BROUGHAM.  227 

joyment,  and  of  doing  duty  ;  but  they  will  live,  and  are  keeping  men  I 
long  to  provide  for  out  of  their  benefices.  There  's  Wilberfbrce's  son, 
and  Macaulay's,  and  Austin;  I  am  waiting  for  an  opportunity  of  show- 
ing that  I  do  not  forget  them,  but  these  old  gentlemen  thwart  me: 
surely  there  is  no  sin  in  wishing  that  they  were  gathered  to  their  fathers.' 
He  then  went  on  to  speak  of  Austin.  '  lie  is  exactly  the  man  who 

deserves  the  patronage  of  Government ;  the  Bishop  of ,  who  is  as 

good  a  man  as  can  be,  but  as  simple-hearted  as  good,  came  to  me  the 
other  day,  and  told  me  that  there  was  a  clergyman  in  his  diocese  of 
excellent  character  who  had  suffered  from  the  West  Indians;  his  name 
was  Austin  ;  probably  I  had  never  heard  of  him,  though  his  name  had 
been  mentioned  in  Parliament.  I  soon  convinced  him  that  I  knew 
more  of  Austin  than  he  did,  and  I  mean  to  send  him  the  debate  on 
Smith's  case.*  I  think  he  might  pick  up  some  good  principles  in  it. 
But  as  for  Austin,  I  do  not  forget  what  you  said  to  me  last  December, 
and  you  shall  soon  see  that  I  do  not.  If  I  have  not  done  something 
already,  blame  not  me,  but  these  everlasting  parsons.' 

"  We  then  talked  about  the  Court  of  Chancery,  and  I  said,  '  I  hope 
to  see  the  day  in  which  you  shall  be  sitting  ia  your  Court  and  calling 
for  the  next  case,  and  the  officer  of  the  Court  shall  tell  you  that  all  the 
cases  are  disposed  of :  that  will  be  the  most  glorious  hour  of  your  life.' 
•  Well,'  said  he,  '  that  you  shall  see,  and  see  it  too  before  the  close  of 
the  Session.  Depend  upon  it  there  shall  not  be  an  appeal  case  in  the 
House  of  Lords  in  two  months'  time  ! ' 

"  He  inquired  the  wages  of  the  draymen.  I  told  him  about  45s. 
weekly  ;  and  we  a41ow  them  to  provide  substitutes  for  a  day  or  two  in 
the  week  ;  but  we  insist  on  their  paying  them  at  the  rate  of  26s.  per 
week.  '  Yes,'  said  he,  '  I  understand ;  these  rich  and  beneficed  gentry 
employ  curates,  and  the  curates  of  the  draymen  get  about  as  much  salary 
as  those  of  the  clergy.' 

"  After  dinner  we  took  them  to  the  stables  to  see  the  horses.  Some- 
body said,  '  Now  the  Lord  Chancellor  will  be  at  a  loss ;  at  all  events  he 
knows  nothing  about  horses.'  However,  fortune  favoured  him,  for  he 
selected  one  of  the  best  of  them,  and  pointed  out  his  merits.  Some  one 
proposed  that  he  should  get  upon  his  back,  and  ride  him  round  the 
yard,  which  he  seemed  very  willing  to  do  ;  and  thus  ends  my  history  of 
the  Lord  Chancellor. 

"  Lord  Grey  looked  care-worn,  but  was  remarkably  cordial. "f 


*  See  p.  130. 

t  Mr.  Buxton  had  a  very  high  opinion  of  Lord  Grey.  "  If  you  talk  with 
him  for  half  an  hour,"  he  remarked  on  one  occasion,  "you  find  his  intellect 
a  head  higher  than  anybody's  else ;  he  has  more  mind  than  any  mail  in  this 
country." 

Q  2 


228  MEDITATIONS.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

******** 
The  new  Parliament,  which  had   met  on   the  14th  of  June, 
was  altogether  occupied   in  debates  on   the  Reform  Bill  ;  and 
Mr.  Buxton,  who  was  deeply  interested  in  the  progress  of  the 
measure,  was  detained  in  London  till  September. 

The  following  paper  was  written  six  weeks  after  his  return  to 
his  usual  recreations  in  the  country : — 

"Northrepps  Hall,  October  26,  1831. 

"  S.  Hoare  goes  away  to-day.  Shooting  has  been  good  medicine  for 
him  ;  he  came  down  with  very  gloomy  views  on  the  state  of  public 
affairs  ;  but  the  dangers  from  Reform  or  the  rejection  of  Reform — the 
perils  of  the  Church  and  State — have  gradually  disappeared,  and  now, 
as  far  as  he  can  see,  the  country,  if  not  prosperous  and  secure,  is  at 
least  threatened  with  no  imminent  danger  ! 

"  I  cannot  but  think  that  the  air,  exercise,  and  absence  of  care  are 
essential  to  his  health  of  body,  and  to  the  tranquillity  of  his  mind ;  nay, 
I  doubt  whether  he  could  go  on  in  his  very  useful  career  without  that 
season  of  repose  and  relaxation.  This  is  my  deliberate  judgment  with 
regard  to  him,  and  may  God  bless  him,  and  give  him  health  of  body,  a 
cheerful  and  a  wholesome  mind — peace  here  and  for  ever !  It  is  not 
often  that  two  persons  have  a  union  so  strong,  so  unvarying,  so  ce- 
mented by  a  similarity  of  taste  and  pursuit,  of  principles  and  views, 
agreeing  so  entirely  in  serious  as  well  as  in  lighter  concerns  as  that 
which  for  five-and-twenty  years  has  subsisted  between  us.  Well,  may 
God  bless  him,  and  may  we  edify  and  benefit,  as  well  as  amuse,  each 
other. 

"  As  for  myself,  I  feel  about  shooting  that  it  is  not  time  lost  if  it 
contributes  to  my  health  and  cheerfulness.  I  have  many  burthens,  and 
it  is  well  to  cast  them  off,  lest  they  should  so  dispirit  and  oppress  me 
that  I  became  less  capable  of  active  exertion. 

"  But  now  my  holiday  is  nearly  ended  ;  shooting  may  be  my  recrea- 
tion, but  it  is  not  my  business.  It  has  pleased  God  to  place  some  duties 
upon  me  with  regard  to  the  poor  slaves,  and  those  duties  I  must  nut 
abandon.  Oppression  and  cruelty,  and  persecution,  and,  what  is  worse, 
absence  of  religion,  must  not  continue  to  grind  that  unfortunate  race 
through  my  neglect.  Grant,  O  God,  that  I  may  be  enabled  by  thy 
Holy  Spirit  to  discharge  my  solemn  duties  to  them.  Thou  hast  pro- 
mised thy  Spirit,  thy  aid,  and  thy  wisdom  to  those  who  ask  them,  and 
under  a  sense  of  my  utter  incompetency  to  do  anything  of  mv  own 
strength,  I  humbly  and  earnestly  crave  and  entreat  thy  guidinar  v 
and  that  power  and  strength  which  comcth  from  thec.  Mak< 
instrument  in  thy  hands  for  the  relief  and  for  the  elevation  of  that 


1831.]  MEDITATIONS.  229 

afflicted  people.  For  the  oppression  of  the  poor,  for  the  sighing  of  the 
needy,  now  aii<e,  ()  Lord,  and  grant  me  the  privilege  of  labouring  and 
combating  in  their  behalf.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  it  will  not  be 
wrong  to  give  two  mornings  in  the  week,  while  the  fine  weather  lasts, 
to  exercise,  and  the  evenings  of  those  days  to  letters  and  my  various 
businesses — I  shall  then  have  four  days  for  slavery.  *  *  *  Once  more  I 
pray  that  it  may  please  thee,  O  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  to  lift  up  the 
light  of  thy  countenance  on  me,  my  labours,  my  meditations,  and  my 
prayers ;  grant  me  to  grow  in  grace,  and  call  forth  the  powers  thou  hast 
given  me  for  thy  own  service;  strengthen  me  with  might  in  the  inner 
man  ;  deal  bountifully  with  thy  servant.  Amen." 

A  few  days  later  he  writes  again :  — 

"  November  6,  1831. 

"  Accept,  O  Lord,  my  thanks  for  that  indulgent  mercy  which  has 
followed  me  all  my  days.  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  in  vigour  of  body  and 
mind  ;  that  I  am  not  under  the  influence  at  this  moment  of  any  sore 
calamity  ;  that  I  am  not  racked  with  pain,  nor  tormented  with  grievous 
apprehension  ;  but  that  it  is  a  time  of  some  peace  and  serenity. 

"  I  bless  thee  that,  in  all  the  outward  circumstances  of  life,  thou  hast 
dealt  bountifully  with  me ;  that  thou  hast  given  me,  not  indeed  great 
talents  and  endowments,  but  a  sound  mind  and  enough  force  of  under- 
standing for  the  performance  of  my  duties  ;  that  thou  hast  placed  me  in 
a  reputable  station,  given  me  a  good  business,  fair  health,  competence  ; 
in  short,  that  in  these  things  I  am  more  prosperous  than  many  that  de- 
serve them  better  ;  that  if  not  placed  on  the  hill,  I  am  not  cast  down 
into  the  valley.  In  my  family  I  have  been  happy.  Severe  afflictions 
have  come  ;  some  of  those  most  dear  to  me  have  been  snatched  away  in 
the  dawn  of  their  days,  and  one  is  lately  gone  whom  I  unceasingly  de- 
plore ;  but  he  is  gone  to  his  God  ;  he  is  in  peace  ;  he  is  an  inhabitant  of 
those  mansions  prepared  by  thine  Almighty  power  for  those  who  love 
thee.  Then  hast  thou  not  rescued  me  from  a  thousand  perils,  from 
temptations,  from  sins  ?  Can  I  not  respond  to  the  thanksgivings  of  the 
Psalmist  (Psalm  ciii.  1—5).  Am  I  not  within  reach  of  great  spiritual 
advantages?  I  thank  thee,  O  Lord,  that  thou  hast  led  me  to  read  my 
Bible,  and  hast  supplied  me  with  thy  Spirit  while  I  read,  so  that  my 
heart  and  mind  have  been  fixed  on  the  power  of  prayer,  on  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Spirit,  on  the  mercies  of  my  God,  on  the  deliverance  of 
mankind  through  a  blessed  Saviour.  Yes  1  thou  hast  offered  to  me  that 
'  living  bread  which  cometh  down  from  heaven,'  and  giveth  eternal  life 
to  those  who  feed  on  it.  Thy  mercies,  in  truth,  have  been  to  me 
abundant  and  innumerable,  as  the  leaves  of  the  forest,  as  the  sands  of 
the  sea.  Benignant  and  bountiful  hast  thou  been  to  me  all  the  days  of 


230  GLOOMY  PROSPECTS.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

my  life,  and  may  it  please  thee  evermore  to  be  so,  to  continue  to  ble?s 
me  in  body,  in  mind,  in  estate,  in  pursuits,  in  family,  in  friends,  in 
business,  in  prayer,  in  meditation,  in  thankfulness  for  the  visible  mercy 
of  God,  and  in  the  atonement  of  Christ. 

"  We  stand  now  in  a  peculiar  crisis  ;  though  I  am  not  troubled  with 
care,  or  depressed  with  apprehension,  there  is  reason  for  alarm.  It  is, 
both  in  private  and  public  matters,  a  time  of  trouble,  and  I  have  good 
reason  to  seek  thee  with  earnestness  of  supplication  in  this  perilous 
period.  As  for  public  matters,  have  I  not  reason  to  turn  steadfastly  to 
Him  who  can  shield  us  from  dangers,  however  imminent  and  however 
terrible?  Last  week  the  Bristol  riots  prevailed,  and  the  same  spirit  may 
spread  through  the  country.  In  this  neighbourhood  the  incendiary  has 
been  briskly  at  work.  Last  night  the  news  arrived  that  the  cholera  had 
really  commenced  its  ravages  in  England  ;  and  to-morrow  a  meeting  of 
the  working  classes  is  to  take  place  in  London.  Storms  seem  gathering 
in  every  direction,  and  the  tempest  may  soon  break  upon  my  own  house. 
Assist  me  then,  O  Lord,  to  prepare  for  events  which  may  so  soon  ap- 
proach. Let  my  house  be  planted  on  a  rock  which  shall  stand  firm 
in  the  buffetings  of  the  winds  and  the  waves.  O  my  God,  I  feel  that 
there  is  no  security,  save  the  perfect  security  which  belongs  to  thee. 
Vain  is  the  help  of  man  ;  folly  is  his  wisdom  ;  feebleness  his  strength  ; 
but  in  entire  unshaken  confidence  I  desire  to  commit  and  commend  to 
thee  myself,  my  family,  my  friends,  my  neighbours,  my  country. 

"  Give  us  wisdom  to  act  aright ;  preside  over  our  councils ;  lead  us  to 
the  right  path,  and  to  do  the  right  thing.  Let  thy  Spirit  be  poured 
forth  upon  us  in  rich  profusion,  prepare  u?  for  outward  danger  by  in- 
ward grace.  Teach  us  that  no  real  calamity  can  befall  us  if  we  are  in 
the  hands  of  our  God,  that  we  are  safe  under  the  shadow  of  His  wings. 
Give  us  the  spirit  of  true  prayer,  and  let  it  abide  with  us  ;  and  if  death 
be  cominer,  '  in  the  hour  of  death  and  in  the  day  of  judgment,  good 
Lord  deliver  us,'  for  the  sake  of  our  blessed  Redeemer,  Christ  Jesus." 

The  insurrectionary  spirit  of  the  day,  alluded  to  in  this  paper, 
reached  even  the  quiet  neighbourhood  of  Cromer,  and  one  morn- 
ing, when  Mr.  Buxton  was  at  breakfast,  news  came  that  a  band 
of  rioters  were  passing  along-  a  road  near  his  house,  on  their  way 
to  destroy  a  farmer's  thrashing  machine.  He  at  once  walked 
out  to  meet  them,  accompanied  by  his  younger  children,  and  on 
coming  up  to  them  made  a  short  speech,  explaining  to  them 
what  fools  they  were,  and  urging  them  not  to  run  the  risk  of  the 
gallows.  When  he  had  done,  observing  that  they  were  headed 
by  a  man  with  a  long  pole  in  his  hand,  surmounted  by  a  reaping- 


1831.]  DEATH  OF  MR.  NORTH.  2.31 

hook,  Mr.  IJuxtoii  stepped  up  to  him,  and  after  a  moment's 
struggle  wrested  it  away,  none  of  the  others  interfering.  He 
then  disarmed  another  in  the  same  way,  and  this  so  completely 
disconcerted  these  valiant  rioters  that  they  began  to  disperse,  and 
were  soon  all  safe  at  home  in  their  cottages. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  autumn  Mr.  Buxton  had  sustained 
the  loss  of  his  early  and  highly  valued  friend  John  Henry  North, 
who  had  sunk  under  the  fatigue  incurred  by  his  exertions  in 
Parliament  against  the  Reform  Bill.  Their  friendship  had  not 
been  cooled  by  the  difference  in  their  political  careers. 

TO  MRS.  NORTH. 

"  Northrepps,  November  20,  1831. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — I  have  not  written  to  you  of  late,  partly  Iron!  a 
reluctance  to  intrude  on  your  griefs,  and  partly  from  another  feeling. 
What  can  I  say  to  comfort  you  ?  There  are  topics  of  consolation  for 
ordinary  calamities ;  but,  in  your  case,  the  blow  has  been  too  deep  and 
too  terrible  to  admit  of  any  comfort  save  one,  and  with  that  I  trust  you 
are  abundantly  blessed.  I  have  made,  however,  some  inquiries  about 
you,  and  was  distressed  to  hear  of  your  extreme  depression  ;  not  that  I 
wonder  at  it :  your  loss  has  been  great  indeed  ;  but  1  wish  to  say  to  you 
— Cheer  up,  my  friend  !  the  day  is  coming  in  which  you  will,  I  confi- 
dently believe,  be  restored  to  the  object  of  your  affection.  The  blow 
which  has  levelled  your  joys  and  your  hopes  with  the  dust  came  from 
the  hand  of  a  most  loving  Father,  and  hereafter  you  will  know  that  it 
was  sent  in  mercy  and  lovina:  kindness.  I  heartily  wish  that  I  had 
sometimes  the  privilege  of  seeing  you.  I,  too,  have  had  very  deep 
afflictions  in  my  family ;  many  of  the  pleasant  pictures  which  my  imagi- 
nation had  painted  have  been  destroyed.  This,  I  believe,  makes  my 
heart  more  susceptible  of  the  distress  of  others,  and  I  should  be  glad  of 
the  opportunity  of  pointing  out  to  you  those  passages  in  Scripture,  and 
elsewhere,  in  which  I  have  found  relief  and  comfort.  But  if  I  do  not 
see  you,  I  do  not  forget  you.  I  remember  your  forlorn  and  solitary 
state,  and  the  bitter  contrast  between  your  home  now  and  in  former 
times.  I  can  conceive  the  dreariness  of  it,  and  how  constantly  you 
must  miss  such  a  friend  and  companion  as  you  have  lost ;  but  there  is 
consolation  in  reflecting  on  what  he  said  and  what  he  felt  in  his  last 
hours,  and  in  tracing  his  happy  change  from  this  sorrowful  world,  to  the 
inexpressible  joys  and  glories  of  which  he  is  now,  I  firmly  trust,  a 
partaker. 

"  This  is  a  very  painful  period  of  the  year  to  me.     This  time,  almost 


232  LETTER  TO  A  FRIEND  IN  ILL  HEALTH.     [CHAP.  xvii. 

this  day,  last  year,  I  lost  a  son  —  and  such  a  son  !  But  God's  will  be 
done  !  I  find  that  nothing  so  takes  off  the  sting  of  my  grief  as  a  realising 
sense  of  his  perfect  happiness.  My  dear  boy's  name  was  John  Henry, 
so  named  after  the  dearest  friend  of  my  youth. 

"  Believe  me,  my  dear  friend,  very  truly  and  in  sincere  sympathy 

"  Yours, 

"  T.   FOWELL    BuXTON." 


He  thus  writes  to  a  gentleman  with  whom  he  had  been  en- 
gaged in  important  business,  and  who  was  now  labouring  under 
indisposition  :  — 

"  Devonshire  Street,  March,  1832. 

"  It  seems  very  long  since  I  have  written  to  you,  or  heard  from  you, 
but  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear"  better  tidings  of  your  health.  The  worst  part 
of  the  spring  is  now  over.  I  have  more  confidence  in  air  and  gentle 
exercise  than  in  all  the  doctors  ;  and  I  confidently  hope  that  these  will 
recruit  your  spirits  and  your  health,  so  as  fully  to  re-establish  you. 

"  You  will  remember  that  I  spoke  to  you  some  months  ago  upcn  the 
subject  of  religion.  I,  at  least,  well  recollect  that  you  received  what  I 
said  with  your  usual  kindness.  I  had  some  doubts  as  to  the  kind  of 
books  which  you  would  be  inclined  to  read.  I  have  sent  you  a  few,  and 
shall  be  really  glad  to  hear  that  you  have  read  them  and  liked  them. 

"  After  all,  the  main  purpose  of  our  living  here  is  to  prepare  for 
eternity.  It  matters  little  how  we  fare  in  this  world,  provided  a  better 
awaits  us.  Death  will  soon  overtake  both  the  sick  and  the  healthy  :  you 
and  I,  and  all  now  alive,  must  soon  quit  this  world  ;  and  it  is  an  awful 
thing  to  know  that  either  perfect  happiness  or  eternal  misery  awaits  us. 

"  It  is  difficult  to  dwell  sufficiently  on  these  things  in  the  busy  occu- 
pation of  life,  and  I  believe  that  sickness  is  often  sent  in  mercy  for  the 
purpose  of  turning  our  minds  to  reflection  and  repentance  ;  and  that  thus, 
to  many,  illness  has  been  the  greatest  blessing  of  their  lives.  I  both 
hope  and  believe  this  is  the  case  with  you.  I  can  bear  testimony,  and 
have  often  done  so,  to  your  many  excellent  and  generous  qualities,  but 
these  alone  will  not  suffice  :  something  more  is  necessary,  and  that  some- 
thing is  repentance  for  past  sins  —  a  desire  and  determination  to  obey 
God,  and,  above  all,  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 

"  My  hope  and  wish  for  you  is,  that  you  may  be  led  to  pray  fervently 
and  constantly  for  the  Spirit  of  God  to  teach  you.  If  you  ask  for  that 
Spirit  it  will  be  given  to  you  :  it  will  teach  you  to  read  the  Bible,  it  will 
enlighten  your  mind  on  the  truths  which  it  contains,  and.  especially,  it 
will  make  you  to  know  and  feel  two  things,  —  first,  that  God  is  ready  to 
pardon  even  the  greatest  of  sinners;  and,  secondly,  that  this  pardon  is 
derived,  not  from  our  own  merits,  but  from  the  merits  of  our  Saviour. 


1832.]  EXTRACT  FROM  HIS  PAPERS.  2.33 

"  I  have  boon  led,  my  dear  friend,  to  say  thus  much  from  the  sincere 
interest  and  friendship  I  have  always  felt  for  you.  I  entreat  you  to  take 
it  as  kindly  as  it  is  meant,  and  to  make  good  use  of  the  leisure  which 
you  now  have,  in  attending  to  the  most  important  concern  you  were  ever 
engaged  in." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  one  of  his  papers,  dated  Jan. 
1,  1832:— 

"  Grant,  O  Lord,  that  I  may  begin  the  next  year  under  the  guidance 
and  influence  of  that  blessed  Spirit,  which,  if  I  grieve  it  not,  if  I  follow 
it  implicitly,  if  I  listen  to  its  still  small  voice,  if  I  love.it  as  my  friend 
and  consult  it  as  my  counsellor,  will  surely  lead  me,  in  this  life,  in  the 
pleasant  paths  of  peace  and  holiness,  and  as  surely  conduct  me  hereafter 
to  the  habitations  of  unutterable  joy. 

"  Again  and  again  I  crave  and  entreat  the  presence  and  the  power  of 
that  heavenly  guide.  O  Lord,  how  much  have  I  had  in  the  past  year 
to  thank  thee  for!  What  mercy,  what  love,  what  compassion  for  my 
weakness,  what  readiness  to  pardon  and  obliterate  the  memory  of  my 
misdeeds  I  ***** 

"  Now,  am  I  sufficiently  assiduous  in  the  discharge  of  my  duties  ? 
My  great  duty  is  the  deliverance  of  my  brethren  in  the  West  Indies 
from  slavery  both  of  body  and  soul.  In  the  early  part  of  the  year  I  did 
in  some  measure  faithfully  discharge  this.  I  gave  my  whole  mind  to  it. 
I  remember  that  I  prayed  for  firmness  and  resolution  to  persevere,  and 
that  in  spite  of  some  formidable  obstructions  I  was  enabled  to  go  on  ; 
but,  latterly,  where  has  my  heart  been  ?  Has  the  bondage  of  my 
brethren  engrossed  my  whole  mind  ?  The  plain  and  the  painful  truth 
is  that  it  has  not.  Pardon,  O  Lord,  this  neglect  of  the  honourable  ser- 
vice to  which  thou  hast  called  me. 

"  Give  me  wisdom  to  devise,  and  ability  to  execute,  and  zeal  and  per- 
severance and  dedication  of  heart,  for  the  task  with  which  thou  hast 
been  pleased  to  honour  me.  2  Chron.  xx.  12-17. 

"  And  now,  Lord,  hear  and  answer  my  prayer  for  myself.  My  first 
desire  is,  that  this  next  year  may  not  be  thrown  away  upon  anything  less 
than  those  hopes  and  interests  which  are  greater  and  better  than  any 
that  this  world  can  contain.  May  no  subordinate  cares  or  earthly  inte- 
rests interrupt  my  progress.  May  I  act  as  one  whose  aim  is  heaven  ; 
may  my  loins  be  girded,  and  my  lights  burning,  and  myself  like  unto 
men  \vho  wait  for  their  Lord.  Conscious  of  my  own  weakness,  of  my 
absolute  inability  to  do  anything  by  my  own  strength,  anything  tending 
to  my  own  salvation,  I  earnestly  pray  for  the  light  and  the  impulse  of 
thy  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  Christ  may  dwell  in  my  heart  by  faith. 


234  LETTER  ON  A  SCHOOL  OUTBREAK.     [CHAP.  xvin. 

"  Bless,  O  Lord  God,  my  efforts  for  the  extinction  of  that  cruel 
slavery  ;  or,  rather,  take  the  work  into  thine  own  hands. 

"  Bless,  O  Lord,  I  earnestly  pray  thee,  bless  my  family,  relations, 
and  friends.  With  what  deep  affection  I  pass  them  in  review,  and  feel 
that  never  was  any  one  privileged  to  possess  a  larger  number  of  most 
faithful  friends!  I  entreat,  O  Lord,  that  thou  wouldest  bless  them  with 
all  thy  choicest  blessings,  in  their  families,  in  their  concerns,  in  their 
health,  and,  above  all,  in  the  growth  of  grace  in  their  souls. 

"  There  are  some  of  them  from  whom  I  hare  received  much  more  in 
kindness  than  I  have  ever  requited.  There  are  others  who  seem  to 
need  especial  intercession.  There  are  those  with  whom  I  have  all  my 
life  been  bound  by  the  fastest  ties  of  unclouded  affection.  For  each  and 
for  all  of  them  I  pray  thee,  O  Lord,  turn  their  hearts  to  thyself;  deliver 
them  from  pain,  from  sorrow,  and  from  sin,  and  conduct  them  in  thine 
own  way  to  that  fold  of  which  Jesus  Christ  is  the  shepherd,  and  receive 
them  at  length  as  thine  own,  for  the  sake  of  Christ  Jesus." 

One  of  his  nephews  had  joined  in  a  school  outbreak.  Mr. 
Buxton  thus  writes  to  his  father :  — 

"  Northrepps,  January  8,  1832. 

"  Your  letter  reached  me  to-night,  and  I  lose  no  time  in  answering  it. 
As  for  the  '  insurrectionary  movements,''  if  you  did  not  take  them  so 
seriously,  we  should  rather  be  inclined  to  smile  at  them.  Let  me  ask 
you  one  plain  question.  Do  you  really  think  one  bit  the  worse  of  the 
boy  for  having  been  one  of  these  rebels  ?  I  do  not.  Non-resistance  to 
oppression,  or  supposed  oppression,  built  upon  a  deep  investigation  of 
the  tenor  of  Scripture,  and  upon  the  spirit  evinced  by  the  author  of 
Christianity,  is  a  very  high  attainment:  it  is  not  to  be  expected  from  a 
lad  of  his  age.  Again,  it  is  of  all  things  the  most  difficult  to  stand 
against  the  current  of  popular  feeling,  especially  where  the  motive  for 
doing  so  may  be  misconstrued  into  timidity  and  truckling. 

"  In  short,  if  I  were  his  father,  I  should  affectionately  and  gently  re- 
mind him  that  his  fault  consisted  in  a  departure  from  the  principles 
which  his  parents  held.  I  should  instil  into  his  mind  that  it  was  more 
noble  to  stand  alone,  maintaining  that  course  which  they  would  approve, 
than  to  perform  the  most  gallant  insurgent  exploits ;  and  I  should  give 
him  to  understand  that  I  expected  to  hear  no  more  of  such  proceedings; 
and,  in  my  own  heart,  I  should  be  quite  at  ease  on  the  subject.  I  cer- 
tainly should  send  him  back  again.  I  would  give  the  school  another 
trial,  and  I  should  whisper  in  the  master's  ear,  that  if  another  rebellion 
took  place  it  must  be  tin-  fault  of  the  system. 

"  The  only  thing  about  which  I  should  fool  any  serious  apprehension, 
would  be  lest  the  boy  should  get  indirect  praise  for  his  high  spirit.  I 


1832.]  LETTER  ON  A  SCHOOL  OUTBREAK.  235 

speak  from  experience.  When  I  was  a  boy  I  obtained  what  then  ap- 
peared to  me  to  be  the  glorious  discredit  of  being  high-spirited  and 
haughty,  and  careless  of  consequences.  There  is  something  in  this  to 
please  the  fancy  and  excite  the  pride  of  a  boy;  and  this  character,  which 
stands  upon  the  borders  of  good  and  evil,  made  me  very  fierce  and 
tyrannical.  I  say  this  the  more  freely,  because  I  think  I  discern  in  his 
mother's  letters  a  great  deal  of  sorrow  and  apprehension  at  top,  but 
underneath  a  little  secret,  sly  satisfaction  at  her  boy's  spirit.  I  send 
him  my  love  and  a  sovereign ;  and,  if  you  like,  you  may  read  him  what 
I  say  as  to  the  more  noble  and  manly  part  which  we  expect  him  here- 
after to  take." 


236  INSURRECTION  IN  JAMAICA.  [CHAP.  xvm. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
SLAVBBY.     1832. 

Insurrection  in  Jamaica  —  Lords'  Committee  —  Letters  to  Lord  Suffield 
Speech  at  Public  Meeting  —  Position  of  Parties  —  State  of  the  Colonies 
—  Policy  of  the  Government  —  Debate,  May  24  —  Mr.  Buxton  insists 
on  Dividing  the  House  —  Formation  of  the  Committee  —  Religious  Per- 
secutions in  Jamaica  —  Result  of  the  Committee  —  Letters. 

WHEN  the  session  of  1832  commenced,  the  nation  was  shaken  to 
its  centre  by  the  closing  struggle  on  the  Reform  question.  Some 
may  be  disposed  to  wonder  that  Mr.  Buxton,  at  such  a  crisis,  did 
not  take  an  active  part  in  the  exciting  discussions  of  the  day  ;  but 
though  warmly  interested  in  the  subject,  and  constant  in  giving 
his  attendance  and  his  vote,  the  incessant  occupation  arising  out 
of  the  abolition  question  prevented  him  from  coming  prominently 
forward  on  other  occasions.  His  attachment  to  the  cause  which 
so  deeply  interested  him 

"  Had  killed  the  flock  of  all  affections  else 
That  lived  in  him," 

and  his  best  exertions  were  needed  to  prevent  the  pressing  ques- 
tions of  the  day  from  engulfing  all  remembrance  of  the  far  dis- 
tant slave.  The  attention  of  all  parties  was,  however,  for  a  time 
recalled  to  the  subject :  first  by  the  violent  irritation  expressed 
in  the  colonies  at  the  declaration  of  Lord  Althorp  in  the  pre- 
ceding year,  that  he  would  "  insist  on  the  enforcement"  of  ame- 
liorating measures,*  and  at  the  consequent  order  in  council 
issued,  with  a  despatch  from  Lord  Goderich,  in  November;  and, 
secondly,  by  the  news  of  an  alarming  insurrection  among  the 

*  April  15,  1831.  Hansard.  At  one  of  the  public  meetings  of  the 
planters  in  Jamaica,  this  determination  of  the  Government  was  affirmed  to 
be  "unjust  and  inhuman,''  while  the  allegations  of  the  anti-slavery  party 
were  stigmatised  as  "  the  false  and  infamous  representations  of  interested 
and  infuriated  lunatics." — (See  the  Life  of  YVni.  Knibb,  p.  111.) 


1832.]  INSURRECTION  IN  JAMAICA.  237 

negroes  in  Jamaica,  who,  from  hearing  the  indignant  expressions 
of  their  masters  against  the  home  government,  conceived  that 
"  free  paper  was  come,"  and  had  been  suppressed  by  the  planters. 
An  attempt  was  made  by  the  latter  to  implicate  the  missionaries 
and  some  of  the  clergy  in  the  rebellion  of  the  slaves,  and  Messrs. 
Gardner  and  Knibb  were  actually  arrested  on  the  charge,  and 
indictments  made  out  against  them.  The  case,  however,  against 
the  former  completely  broke  down,  and  the  Attorney-General 
abandoned  the  charge  against  the  other.  In  fact,  not  one  tittle 
of  evidence  was  ever  adduced  against  them.* 

A  warm  debate  took  place  on  the  23rd  of  March,  in  which 
Lord  Howick  defended  the  conduct  of  Government,  in  having 
promised  advantages  to  those  colonies  which  would  adopt  un- 
changed the  order  in  council ;  and  asserted  that,  as  the  remon- 
strances of  three  successive  Secretaries  of  State  had  proved 
ineffectual,  "  the  time  had  arrived  when  the  language  of  exhor- 
tation should  cease."  f 

On  the  25th  of  March  Mr.  Buxton  mentions  that  twenty  of 
his  leading  anti-slavery  friends  dined  with  him  to  discuss  the  sub- 
ject of  slavery,  and  devise  the  means  of  its  extinction. 

"  But,"  says  he,  "  this  select  band  of  our  special  friends  and  faithful 
supporters  differed  upon  every  practical  point ;  and  opinions  wavered 
all  the  way,  from  the  instant  abolition  of  slavery  without  any  compen- 
sation, to  its  gradual  extinction  through  the  agency,  and  with  the  cordial 
concurrence,  of  the  planters." 

"  Let  me  then  turn,"  he  adds,  "from  the  weakness  of  man  to  the 
strength  and  counsel  of  my  God.  Now,  if  never  before,  I  see  how 
precious  is  that  promise,  '  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of 
God,  and  it  shall  be  given  him.'  I  feel  that  I  do  indeed  lack  this  divine 
wisdom.  The  142nd  Psalm  speaks  my  feelings." 

The    West    Indian  proprietors   in  the  Upper   House  J    now 

*  Sir  Willoughby  Cotton  says,  in  a  despatch  to  Lord  Belmore,  dated 
Jan.  3,  "The  whole  of  the  men  shot  yesterday  stated  that  they  had  been 
told  by  white  people  for  a  long  time  past  that  they  were  to  be  free  at  Christ- 
mas, and  that  the  freedom  order  had  actually  come  .out  from  England,  but 
had  been  withheld."— (See  Parl.  Paper  for  16th  March,  1832,  No.  285, 
quoted  in  A.  S.  Reporter.) 

t  Hansard. 

+  It  is  likely  that  the  greater  part  of  the  non-resident  proprietors  \vere 
entirely  ignorant  of  the  proceedings  on  their  estates,  and  of  the  cruelties  in- 
flicted on  the  slaves.  Thus  Mr.  Lewis,  in  his  entertaining  work,  '  Negro 


238  LETTER  TO  LORD  SUFFIELD.  [CHAP,  xvm, 

moved  for,  and  obtained,  a  committee  of  inquiry  on  "West 
Indian  affairs.  "  This  committee,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  *  "is 
a  pretext  for  delay,  and  nothing  else ;  I  look  on  it  as  a  calamity 
to  our  cause."  He  foresaw  that  its  not  having  completed 
its  inquiries  would  be  urged  as  a  motive  for  deferring  the 
settlement  of  the  question  ;  j"  and  he  could  not  expect  much 
impartiality  from  its  decisions,  knowing,  as  he  did,  that  there 
was  scarcely  a  stirring  friend  of  emancipation  in  the  Upper 
House. 

TO  LORD  SUFFIELD. 

«  April  19,  1832. 

"  My  dear  Lord, — Will  you  have  the  goodness  to  ascertain  for  me, 
when  you  have  an  opportunity,  what  the  powers  of  this  hopeful  Com- 
mittee are  likely  to  be  with  regard  to  witnesses ;  whether  it  will  au- 
thorize us  to  send  for  them  from  the  West  Indies,  &c.,  by  agreeing  to 
pay  their  expenses,  and  remunerate  them  for  the  loss  of  time  and  busi- 
ness ?  and  whether  the  anti-slavery  party,  that  is  yourself,  will  have  any 
authority  or  control  in  the  committee  ? 

"  I  protest,  I  think  you  Lords  are  even  worse  than  we  Commons, 
bad  as  we  are.  I  could  hardly  listen  to  them  in  silence  the  night 
before  last,  or  refrain  from  cheering  the  solitary  voice  that  was  lifted 
up  for  truth  and  righteousness.  Well,  much  as  we  must  lament 
that  there  are  not  many  to  echo  it,  how  deeply  rejoiced  and  thank- 
ful am  I,  and  that  in  the  name  of  the  best  part  of  England  and 
all  the  slaves,  that  there  is  that  one !  Personally,  I  cannot  but 
congratulate  you  on  what  I  consider  so  pre-eminently  the  post  of 

honour. 

'  For  this  was  all  thy  care, 
To  stand  approved  of  God,  though  worlds 
Judged  thee  perverse.' " 

He  writes  again,  a  few  days  later,  to  the  same  friend,  who  was 
dispirited  by  one  of  the  many  discouragements  to  which  the 
struggle  exposed  him. 

" Away  with  all  mortification.  I  can  truly  say,  that  I 

would  rather  incur  obloquy,  and  shame,  and  disappointment  in  our  good 


Life  in  the  West  Indies,'  in  which  he  does  not  fail  to  abuse  Mr.  Wilber- 
force,  yet  mentions  his  indignation,  when  he  lauded  in  Jamaica,  at  finding 
that  his  agent,  who  had  given  him  glowing  descriptions  of  his  own  huma- 
nity to  his  slaves,  was  in  fact  a  worthless  scoundrel,  who  had  all  the  time 
been  ill-treating  them. 

*  At  the  General  Meeting  of  the  Anti-slavery  Society,  May,  1832. 

t  Thus,  see  Sir  K.  Peel's  Speech,  May  24,  1832. 


1832.]  SPEECH  AT  A  PUBLIC  MEETING.  2.39 

cause,  than  get  glory  in  any  other  ;  and  I  know  nothing  oi'  your  mind 
if  you  are  not  of  the  same  opinion." 

Mr.  Buxton  was  one  of  the  numerous  witnesses  examined 
before  the  Lords'  committee,  and  he  gladly  availed  himself  of 
the  opportunity  of  communicating  some  of  his  abundant  in- 
formation, and  laid  before  it  twenty-seven  documents,  prepared 
with  extreme  care.  Although  the  report  of  the  committee 
was  indecisive,  the  effect  of  its  investigations  was  to  diffuse 
more  knowledge  and  sounder  principles.  After  its  labours 
were  closed,  Lord  Suffield  no  longer  stood  alone  in  the  House 
of  Lords. 

An  animated  public  meeting  was  held  on  the  12th  of  May,  at 
which  the  venerable  Mr.  Stephen  presided.  Mr.  Buxton  con- 
cluded the  address  which  he  made  on  the  occasion,  in  these  em- 
phatic words  : — 

"  When  I  call  to  mind  the  fact  that,  contrary  to  the  law  of  nature,  in 
a  country  friendly  to  the  increase  of  population,  it  has  diminished  with 
such  frightful  rapidity,  I  would  tell  all  who  countenance  such  a  system, 
that  they  will  have  to  account  at  a  solemn  tribunal  for  the  50,000  mur- 
ders that  have  been  committed  through  its  agency.  When  I  think  of 
this,  and  of  the  cart-whip,  and  of  the  millions  of  stripes  inflicted  by  that 
accursed  instrument,  I  am  at  a  loss  for  words  to  express  my  feelings. 
When  I  trace  the  system  through  its  baleful  ramifications,  when  I  con- 
template this  hideous  cluster  of  crimes,  there  is  but  one  language,  the 
language  of  divine  inspiration,  that  can  convey  what  passes  within  me. 
'  They  are  a  people  robbed  and  spoiled  ;  they  are  all  of  them  snared  in 
holes,  and  they  are  hid  in  prison-houses  ;  they  are  for  a  prey,  and  no 
man  delivereth,  for  a  spoil,  and  no  man  restoreth.'  When  we  look  at 
the  career  of  affliction  of  our  brother  man,  for,  after  all,  he  is  our  bro- 
ther, moulded  in  the  same  form,  heir  to  the  same  immortality,  and, 
although  in  chains  and  in  suffering,  on  a  level,  in  the  eyes  of  God,  with 
the  proudest  noble  in  that  committee  which  has  been  appointed  to  sit  in 
judgment  upon  him  ;  when  I  view  him  entering  life  by  the  desert  track 
of  bondage  ;  when  I  view  him  writhing  under  the  lash  of  his  tormentor ; 
when  I  see  him  consigned  to  a  premature  and  unregarded  grave,  having 
died  of  slavery;  and  when  I  think  of  the  preparation  which  we, 
good  Christian  men  and  women,  have  enabled  him  to  make  for  his 
hereafter, — there  can  be  but  one  feeling  in  my  heart,  one  expres- 
sion on  my  lips:  '  Great  God  !  how  long,  how  long,  is  this  iniquity  to 
continue  ?  '  " 

The  position  in  which   the  Government,  the  West  Indians, 


240  POSITION  OF  PARTIES.  [CHAP.  XYIII. 

and  the  Abolitionists,  stood  to  each  other  in  1832,  was  nearly 
that  of  equilibrium.  The  Abolitionists  had  received  a  con- 
siderable accession  of  Parliamentary  force  in  the  late  general 
election,  many  of  the  candidates  having  pledged  themselves  to 
take  the  anti-slavery  side.  With  his  hands  thus  strengthened, 
Mr.  Buxton  determined  to  press  forward  again  the  resolutions 
moved  in  the  preceding  year,  aiming  at  an  abolition  of  slavery, 
at  once  speedy  and  safe.  But  to  this  idea  of  speedy  emancipa- 
tion the  ministers  were  by  no  means  prepared  to  yield,  though 
they  fully  admitted  the  principle  that  slavery  should  be  finally 
abolished. 

In  the  first  place,  they  felt  the  responsibility  which  makes 
men  in  power  so  often  shrink  from  a  hardy  policy.  In  the 
second,  they  were  compelled  to  consult  for  their  own  preserva- 
tion, by  conciliating  the  West  Indian  party.  The  immense 
Parliamentary  strength  of  that  body  must  be  borne  in  mind,  if 
we  would  understand  the  varied  and  often  baffled  course  of  the 
anti-slavery  movement  during  this  and  the  ensuing  year.  The 
fact,  was  that  many  of  the  great  landowners  at  home  held  colo- 
nial property  also,  and  inherited  with  it  a  natural  hatred  of  that 
"  reckless  enthusiasm  "  which  was  bent  on  taking  away  their  slaves. 
It  was,  therefore,  the  policy  of  the  Government  to  avoid  bring- 
ing the  anti-slavery  question  to  a  crisis ;  to  keep  it  at  arm's 
length  ;  and,  by  preventing  it  from  coming  to  the  test  of  a  divi- 
sion, to  escape  committing  themselves  to  either  one  or  the  other 
of  the  opposing  parties. 

Against  such  a  policy  it  behoved  the  negro's  advocate  to  stand 
firm.  But  this  was  rendered  the  more  difficult  to  Mr.  Buxton, 
by  his  hearty  attachment  to  Whig  principles,  and  by  his  per- 
sonal regard  for  many  members  of  the  Cabinet.  Besides,  he 
looked  upon  the  maintenance  of  the  Whig  ministry  as  of  almost 
paramount  importance  to  his  own  cause.  By  these  contending 
considerations  the  perplexities  of  his  course  were  greatly  in- 
creased ;  but  he  daily  became  more  impressed  with  the  m  < 
of  vigorous  and  speedy  measures.  Deeply  versed  in  the  state  of 
the  West  Indies,  it  was  to  him  a  thing  plain  and  undoubted, 
that  no  policy  could  be  so  pernicious  as  that  of  hesitation  and 
delay.  He  thought  that  the  dangers  of  rapid  emancipation  were 
not  nearly  so  great  as  they  were  held  to  be.  lie  believed  that 


1832.]  STATE  OF  THE  COLONIES.  241 

a  good  police  and  kind  treatment  would  suffice  to  prevent  those 
"  frightful  calamities  "  (the  result  of  such  an  act),  which  Sir 
Robert  Peel  "shuddered  to  contemplate."*  He  boldly  stated 
his  belief  that  the  negroes  would  go  to  work  for  wages,  as  soon 
as  they  were  released  from  the  terrors  of  the  whip  ;  and  that 
at  any  rate  the  Legislature  would  find  it  the  most  hopeless  task 
in  the  world  to  do  what  Lord  Althorp  called  "employing  itself 
most  usefully,  in  bringing  the  slaves  to  such  a  state  of  moral 
feeling  as  would  be  suitable  to  the  proposed  alteration  in  their 
condition."  f 

The  statistics  which  he  had  brought  forward  in  the  previous 
year  appeared  to  him  to  demonstrate  the  utter  folly,  as  well  as 
the  utter  cruelty  of  slavery.  A  system  that  was  killing  off  the 
labourers  of  the  colonial  islands  at  such  a  fearful  rate,  could 
be  of  no  real  good  to  any  one.  The  best  thing  to  be  done,  as  he 
thought,  would  be  to  get  rid  of  it  at  once,  whatever  the  cost 
might  be. 

If  experience  can  prove  anything,  it  seemed  to  him  to  prove 
the  necessity  of  a  thorough  change  of  policy  with  regard  to 
slavery.  For  nine  years  the  Government  had  been  trying  the 
gentle  means^indicated  by  the  resolutions  of  1823  ;  yet  the  state 
of  the  slaves  was  not  a  whit  better  than  it  had  been  nine  years 
before.  The  mortality  was  advancing  with  the  same  rapid 
strides.  Nay,  in  Demerara,  Essequibo,  Jamaica,  St.  Christo- 
pher's, and  St.  Vincent,  the  official  returns  show  that  the  loss 
of  life  was  greatest  in  the  last  three  of  the  twelve  years  during 
which  those  returns  of  population  were  made.|  The  punish- 
ments officially  reported  had  never  reached  a  more  appalling 
number.  The  cases  of  individual  cruelty  brought  to  light  in 
many  quarters,  but  especially  in  the  reports  of  the  protec- 
tors of  slaves,  were  as  startling  and  as  rife  as  ever.  And  as 
for  religious  instruction,  the  rancour  of  the  planters  against  it, 
justified  by  their  own  doctrine,  that  it  "  is  incompatible  with  the 
existence  of  slavery,"  §  had  grown  stronger  and  more  violent 
year  by  year.  Besides  this  tried  and  tested  hopelessness  of  pro- 
ducing any  real  effect  by  mitigatory  measures,  there  was  another 

*  Hansard,  -vol.  xiii.  p.  C5.  f  Ibid.,  vol.  xiii.  p.  59. 

J  Ibid.,  vol.  xiii.  p.  39. 

§  Public  Meeting  at  Trinidad.     (See  Hansard,  vol.  xi.  p.  839.) 

B 


242  POLICY  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT.        [CHAP.  xvur. 

still  weightier  reason  for  not  delaying  the  day  of  freedom.  In 
this  case,  most  surely,  would  indecision  be  decisive.  A  moral 
effect  had  been  produced  by  the  prolonged  discussions  of  the 
question.  The  planter  had  been  exasperated  to  the  highest 
pitch  of  indignation  ;  the  slave  had  learnt  reflection,  but  not 
self-control.  A  breach,  deadly  and  imminent,  lay  between  them  ; 
and  already  had  some  mutterings  been  heard  of  the  storm,  which 
would  surely  burst  with  terrific  fury,  if  steps  were  not  quickly 
taken  to  turn  its  wrath  aside.  * 

Yet  the  Government,  though  enforcing  their  recommendations 
with  increasing  urgency,  still  wished  to  defer  emancipation  till 
"  a  progressive  improvement  should  have  been  made  in  the  cha- 
racter of  the  slave  population,  by  the  temperate  enforcement  of 
ameliorating  measures."  f 

Here,  then,  Mr.  Buxton  came  to  issue  with  them.  Indeed, 
the  debate  on  which  we  are  about  to  enter  (and  it  was  one  of 
eminent  consequence)  hinged  on  that  point. 

The  Government  first  strove  to  prevent  him  from  bringing  his 
motion  forward.  Failing  in  this  they  endeavoured,  and  with 
success,  to  add  to  the  resolution  which  he  proposed  the  words 
"  conformably  to  the  resolutions  of  1823."  To  this  he  offered  a 
strenuous  resistance  ;  and  persisted  in  dividing  the  House,  so  as 
to  compel  it  to  declare  in  the  face  of  the  nation  what  it  really 
meant  to  do  on  this  great  question. 

The  following  letter,!  written  by  his  eldest  daughter  to  the 
inmates  of  Northrepps  Cottage,  gives  the  details  of  all  that 
occurred  : — 

"  The  debate  §  has  at  length  actually  taken  place,  and  great  cause 
have  we  to  be  satisfied  with  the  result,  now  that  we  are  safe  on  the  other 
side  of  it.  It  is  difficult  exactly  to  recall  the  feelings  and  opinions  of 
the  preceding  days ;  it  was  however  the  usual  course, — every  possible 


*  This  idea,  of  a  general  revolt  of  the  negroes,  was  a  source  of  constant 
distress  to  Mr.  Buxton.     "  The  gun  is  cocked  and  on  the  shoulder,"  said  he, 
•with  great  emphasis,  in  speaking  of  the  subject  to  one  of  his  friends. 

f  See  the  Resolutions  of  1823,  ante. 

*  This  is  the  first  of  a  series  of  letters,  addressed  to  the  same  individuals, 
to  which  we  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to  refer. 

§  May  24. 


1832.]  MR.  BUXTON  PERSISTS  IN  HIS  MOTION.  243 

assault  from  friend  and  foe  to  make  my  father  put  off  his  motion,  and, 
when  that  was  found  hopeless,  to  induce  him  to  soften  it  down,  or  not 
to  divide  the  House.  Dr.  Lushington  was  of  opinion  that  it  would 
endanger  the  cause  to  persevere,  and  difference  of  opinion  with  him  is 
worse  than  anything  to  my  father.  The  Government  were  also  most 
pressing,  and  the  terms  they  offered  extremely  tempting.  On  Tuesday 
morning  my  father  and  Dr.  Lushington  were  a  long  time  with  Lord 
Althorp  and  Lord  Howick,  both  of  whom  used  every  argument  and 
almost  every  entreaty.  I  believe  he  did  not  reply  much  at  the  time, 
but  was  cruelly  beset  and  acutely  alive  to  the  pain  of  refusing  them,  and, 
as  they  said,  of  embarrassing  all  their  measures,  and  giving  their 
enemies  a  handle  at  this  tottering  moment.  They  said,  besides,  that 
the  public  were  so  occupied  with  Reform,  that  it  was  only  wasting  the 
strength  of  the  cause  ;  nobody  would  listen,  and  the  effect  would  be 
wholly  lost,  whereas  if  he  would  wait  a  little  they  would  all  go  with 
him ;  their  hearts  were  in  fact  with  him,  and  all  would  be  smooth,  if  he 
would  have  a  little  reason  and  patience.  On  his  return  he  related  all 
this  to  us,  and  proposed  writing  a  letter  to  Lord  Althorp  previous  to 
the  final  interview,  which  was  to  take  place  the  next  day.  So  a  letter 
was  written,  which  I  will  copy. 

"  '  TO  LORD  ALTHORP. 

"  'May  22,  1832. 

"  '  My  Lord, — I  am  fearful  lest  I  should  have  failed  in  conveying  to 
you,  at  least  in  their  force,  the  impressions  under  which  I  am  acting. 
The  fact  is,  from  the  study  I  have  given  to  the  subject,  I  am  so  deeply 
sensible  of  the  practical  as  well  as  the  inherent  horrors  of  the  system, 
and  of  the  persecution  and  cruelties  which  are  daily  going  on,  that  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  let  this  opportunity  pass  over  without  at  least  bearing 
my  testimony  against  them.  Allow  me  moreover  to  remind  you,  that, 
however  insignificant  in  myself,  I  am  the  representative,  on  this  ques- 
tion, of  no  mean  body  in  this  country,  who  would  be,  to  an  extent  of 
which  I  believe  you  have  no  idea,  disappointed  and  chagrined  at  the 
suspension  of  the  question.  But  further  (and  this  is  a  consideration  far 
more  really  influential  on  my  conduct),  I  cannot  but  feel  myself  the 
representative  of  a  body  who  cannot  speak  for  themselves,  and  for  whom 
I  must  act,  without  other  guide  than  my  own  conscience.  There  is 
nothing,  whatever  may  be  the  result  of  my  motion,  which  I  should  look 
back  upon  with  so  much  regret,  and  I  may  add,  shame,  as  the  having, 
in  any  measure  or  degree,  slighted  their  interest  for  my  own  conveni- 
ence, or  that  of  my  friends  in  England,  more  particularly  as  those  friends 
are  powerful  and  important,  while  those  for  whom  I  am  acting,  however 
feebly,  are  helpless  and  oppressed.  In  short,  I  believe  it  to  be  most 

K  2 


244  MR.  BUXTON  PERSISTS  IN  HIS  MOTION.    [CHAP.  xvin. 

for  their  advantage  that  I  should  bring  on  my  motion,  and  therefore  I 
am  necessitated  to  say  candidly,  that  I  cannot  either  postpone  it  or  sub- 
stitute for  it  anything  short  of  abolition.  To  say  I  do  most  reluctantly 
anything  that  can  possibly  inconvenience  the  present  Ministry  is  needless 
and  useless. 

"  '  I  am,  my  dear  Lord,  with  great  esteem  and  respect, 

"  '  Yours  most  faithfully, 

"  '  T.  F.  BUXTON.' 

"  It  was  early  on  the  Wednesday  morning  that  this  letter  was  sent, 
and  in  the  afternoon  he  went  again  to  Lord  Althorp,  who  immediately 
gave  him  to  understand  that  he  saw  it  was  of  no  use  attempting  to  turn 
him,  and  that  he  gave  him  every  credit  for  his  motive.  Accordingly 
they  resolved  on  their  several  courses,  the  motion,  and  the  amendment. 
Thursday  morning,  May  24th,  came.  My  father  and  I  went  out  on 
horseback  directly  after  breakfast,  and  a  memorable  ride  we  had.  He 
began  by  saying  that  he  had  stood  so  far,  but  that  divide  he  could  not. 
He  said  I  could  not  conceive  the  pain  of  it,  that  almost  numberless  ties 
and  interests  were  concerned,  that  his  friends  would  be  driven  to  vote 
against  him,  and  thus  their  seats  would  be  endangered.  But  then  his 
mind  turned  to  the  sufferings  of  the  missionaries  and  of  the  slaves,  and 
he  said  after  all  he  must  weigh  the  real  amount  of  suffering,  and  not 
think  only  of  that  which  came  under  his  sight ;  and  that  if  he  were  in 
the  West  Indies,  he  should  feel  that  the  advocate  in  England  ought  to 
go  straight  on,  and  despise  those  considerations.  In  short,  by  degrees 
his  mind  was  made  up.  When  we  got  near  the  House  every  minute  we 
met  somebody  or  other,  who  just  hastily  rode  up  to  us.  '  Come  on  to- 
night ?  '  '  Yes.' — '  Positively  ?  '  '  Positively  ; '  and  with  a  blank 
countenance  the  inquirer  turned  his  horse's  head  and  rode  away.  I  do 
not  know  how  many  times  this  occurred.  In  St.  James's  Park  we  met 
Mr.  Spring  Rice,  whom  he  told,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  that  he  posi- 
tively would  divide.  Next  Sir  Augustus  Dalrymple  came  up  to  us,  and, 
after  the  usual  queries,  said,  '  Well,  I  tell  you  frankly  I  mean  to  make 
an  attack  upon  you  to-night.'  '  On  what  point  ?'  '  You  said,  sonic  time 
asro,  that  the  planters  were  opposed  to  religious  instruction.'  '  I  did, 
and  will  maintain  it.'  We  came  home,  and  dined  at  three.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  recall,  and  perhaps  impossible  to  convey  to  you,  the  interest  and 
excitement  of  the  moment.  Catherine  Hoare,  R.,  and  I  and  the  little 
boys  went  down  with  him..  We  were  in  the  ventilator  by  four  o'clock  ; 
our  places  were  therefore  good.  For  a  long  time  we  missed  my  father, 
and  found  afterwards  he  had  been  sent  for  by  Lord  Althorp  for  a  further 
discussion,  in  which,  however,  he  did  not  yield.  Many  anti-slavery 
petitions  were  presented  ;  the  great  West  Indian  petition  by  Lord 


1832.]  LOKD  ALTHORP'S  AMENDMENT.  245 

Chaiulos.  At  length,  about  six,  '  Mr.  Fowell  Buxton'  was  called  :  he 
presented  two  petitions,  one  from  the  Archbishop  of  Tuam  and  his 
clergy,  and  the  other  from  the  Delegates  of  the  Dissenters  in  and  near 
London.  The  order  of  the  day  was  then  called,  and  he  moved  his  reso- 
lution, which  was  for  a  Committee  '  to  consider  and  report  upon  the 
best  means  of  abolishing  the  state  of  slavery  throughout  the  British 
dominions,  with  a  due  regard  to  the  safety  of  all  parties  concerned.' 
He  spoke  very  well  indeed,  and  they  listened  to  him  far  better  than  last 
year  ;  in  short,  the  subject  obviously  carried  much  greater  weight  with 
it,  and  the  effect  of  the  speech  last  year  on  population  was  manifest,  as 
indeed  it  has  been  ever  since.  He  touched  on  that  subject  again,  and 
alluded  to  his  statement,*  which  he  was  happy  to  see  in  the  hands  of 
honourable  members  (he  had  sent  it  round  to  each  a  day  or  two  before 
signed  by  himself,  and  there  were  many  of  them  looking  at  it  while  he 
was  speaking).  I  was  very  much  pleased  to  see  it  in  their  hands.  I 
will  not,  however,  attempt  to  go  over  the  debate,  or  to  relate  the 
speeches.  Mr.  Macaulay's  was  strikingly  eloquent.  Lord  Howick's 
capital,  and  giving  such  a  testimony  to  the  speech  of  last  year  as  de- 
lighted me.  He  said,  it  had  indeed  startled  him,  and  that  he  had  exa- 
mined into  all  the  .facts,  which  he  found  undeniable  :  he  evidently  spoke 
under  the  effect  of  the  impression  it  had  made  upon  him.  Lord  Althorp 
proposed  the  amendment  of  adding  '  conformably  to  the  resolutions  of 
1823.'  Then  came  the  trial :  they  (privately)  besought  my  father  to 
give  way,  and  not  to  press  them  to  a  division.  '  They  hated,'  they  said, 
'  dividing  against  him  when  their  hearts  were  all  for  him  ;  it  was  merely 
a  nominal  difference,  why  should  he  split  hairs  ?  he  was  sure  to  be 
beaten,  where  was  the  use  of  bringing  them  all  into  difficulty,  and 
making  them  vote  against  him  ?'  He  told  us  that  he  thought  he  had  a 
hundred  applications  of  this  kind  in  the  course  of  the  evening  ;  in  short, 
nearly  every  friend  he  had  in  the  House  came  to  him,  and  by  all  consi- 
derations of  reason  and  friendship  besought  him  to  give  way.  Mr. 
Evans  was  almost  the  only  person  who  took  the  other  side.  I  watched 
my  father  with  indescribable  anxiety,  seeing  the  members  one  after  the 
other  come  and  sit  down  by  him,  and  judging  but  too  well  from  their 
gestures  what  their  errand  was.  One  of  them  went  to  him  four  times, 
and  at  last  sent  up  a  note  to  him  with  these  words,  '  immovable  as  ever?' 
To  my  uncle  Hoare,  who  was  under  the  gallery,  they  went  repeatedly, 
but  with  no  success,  for  he  would  only  send  him  a  message  to  persevere. 
My  uncle  described  to  me  one  gentleman,  not  a  member,  who  was  near 
him  under  the  gallery,  as  having  been  in  a  high  agitation  all  the  evening, 


*  April  15,  1831.     See   'Hansard'   of  that  date;   also  'Anti-Slavery 
Reporter,'  vol.  v.  No.  100. 


246  THE  DIVISION.  [CHAP.  xvni. 

exclaiming,  '  Oh,  he  won't  stand  !  Oh,  he'll  yield  !  I  'd  give  a  hundred 
pounds,  I'd  give  a  thousand  pounds,  to  have  him  divide!  Noble! 
noble  !  What  a  noble  fellow  he  is ! '  according  to  the  various  changes 

in  the  aspect  of  things.     Among  others,  Mr.  H came  across  to  try 

his  eloquence  :  '  Now  don't  be  so  obstinate  ;  just  put  in  this  one  word, 
"  interest ;"  it  makes  no  real  difference,  and  then  all  will  be  easy. 
You  will  only  alienate  the  Government.  Now,'  said  he,  '  I  '11  just  tell 
Lord  Althorp  you  have  consented.'  My  father  replied,  '  I  don't  think 
I  exaggerate  when  I  say,  I  would  rather  your  head  were  off,  and  mine 
too ;  I  am  sure  I  had  rather  yours  were  ! '  What  a  trial  it  was  !  He 
said  afterwards,  that  he  could  compare  it  to  nothing  but  a  continual 
tooth-drawing  the  whole  evening.  At  length  he  rose  to  reply,  and  very 
touchingly  alluded  to  the  effort  he  had  to  make,  but  said  he  was  bound 
in  conscience  to  do  it,  and  that  he  would  divide  the  House.  Accord- 
ingly the  question  was  put.  The  Speaker  said,  '  I  think  the  noes  have 
it.'  Never  shall  I  forget  the  tone  in  which  his  solitary  voice  replied, 
*  No,  sir.'  '  The  noes  must  go  forth,'  said  the  Speaker,  and  all  the 
House  appeared  to  troop  out.  Those  within  were  counted,  and  amounted 
to  ninety.  This  was  a  minority  far  beyond  our  expectations,  and  from 
fifty  upwards  my  heart  beat  higher  at  every  number.  I  went  round  to 
the  other  side  of  the  ventilator  to  see  them  coming  in.  How  my  heart 
fell  as  they  reached  88,  89,  90,  91,  and  the  string  still  not  at  an  end ; 
and  it  went  on  to  136 !  So  Lord  Althorp's  amendment  was  carried. 
At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  it  was  over,  and  for  the  first  time  my 
father  came  up  to  us  in  the  ventilator.  I  soon  saw  that  it  was  almost  too 
sore  a  subject  to  touch  upon  ;  he  was  so  wounded  at  having  vexed  all  his 

friends.     Mr. would  not  speak  to  him  after  it  was  over,  so  angry 

was  he  ;  and  for  days  after  when  my  father  came  home  he  used  to  men- 
tion, with  real  pain,  somebody  or  other  who  would  not  return  his  bow. 
On  Friday  Dr.  Lushington  came  here  and  cheered  him,  saying,  '  Well, 
that  minority  was  a  great  victory ;'  and  this  does  seem  to  be  the  case ; 
but  we  hardly  know  how  to  forgive  some  of  those  who  ought  to  have 
swelled  its  numbers.  My  father,  however,  cannot  bear  to  hear  them 

blamed.     M was  wishing  that  some  of  those  who  professed  so  much 

and  voted  against  him  might  be  turned  out.  '  Oh!'  he  said,  '  I  would 
not  hurt  a  hair  of  their  heads.'  He  feels  it  a  great  cause  for  thankfulness 
and  encouragement  to  have  a  committee  sitting  to  consider  the  best 
means  of  getting  rid  of  slavery.  The  formation  of  this  committee  was 
the  next  business,  and  very  difficult  indeed  it  was.  My  father  went 
many  times  to  Lord  Althorp  about  it.  Once  Lord  Althorp  said,  '  The 
fact  is,  Buxton,  the  West  Indians  object,  not  only  to  your  friends,  but 
to  everybody  who  has  any  constituents :  they  won't  have  anybody  out 
of  schedule  A.'  Lord  Howick's  name  being  mentioned,  Lord  Althorp 


1832.]  MR.  BUXTON'S  SPEECH.  „ 

.       _  I .' 


said,  '  Why  he's  one  of  yourselves,'  but  added,  'we,  the  gove 
the  middle  party,  must  be  represented  in  the  committee.'     M;         ^ 
said,  '  Now,  laying  aside  the  caution  of  power,  and  all  the  pledgr°u°" 
have  given,  do  you  mean  to  say  you  don't  agree  with  me  in  your  hP1?*" 
He  did  not  deny  it."  t>on 

"y 

In  this  debate,  as  Mr.  Buxton  afterwards  said,  "the  ca^h 
made  a  seven-league  stride."  One  sentence  of  his  speech  ma, 
be  given  : — • 

"  How  is  the  Government  prepared  to  act  in  case  of  a  general  insur- 
rection of  the  negroes  ?  War  is  to  be  lamented  anywhere,  and  under 
any  circumstances :  but  a  war  against  a  people  struggling  for  their 
freedom  and  their  right  would  be  the  falsest  position  in  which  it  is 
possible  for  England  to  be  placed.  And  does  the  noble  lord  think  that 
the  people  out  of  doors  will  be  content  to  see  their  resources  exhausted, 
for  the  purpose  of  crushing  the  inalienable  rights  of  mankind  ? 

"  I  will  refer  the  House  to  the  sentiments  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Jefferson  was  himself  a  slave- 
owner, and  full  of  the  prejudices  of  slave-owners ;  yet  he  left  this 
memorable  testimony  :  '  I  do,  indeed,  tremble  for  my  country,  when  I 
remember  that  God  is  just,  and  that  his  justice  may  not  sleep  for  ever. 
A  revolution  is  among  possible  events ;  the  Almighty  has  no  attribute 
which  would  side  with  us  in  such  a  struggle.' 

"  This  is  the  point  that  weighs  most  heavily  with  me  :  The  Almighty 
has  no  attribute  that  will  side  with  us  in  such  a  struggle.  A  war  with 
an  overwhelming  physical  force, — a  war  with  a  climate  fatal  to  the 
European  constitution, — a  war,  in  which  the  heart  of  the  people  of 
England  would  lean  toward  the  enemy ;  it  is  hazarding  all  these  terrible 
evils  ;  but  all  are  light  and  trivial,  compared  with  the  conviction  I  feel, 
that  in  such  a  warfare  it  is  not  possible  to  ask,  nor  can  we  expect,  the 
countenance  of  Heaven.  I  assure  the  House  I  have  been  discharging  a 
most  painful  duty,  and  my  endeavour  has  been  to  perform  it  without 
offence  to  any  one." 

Mr.  Buxton  writes  a  few  days  afterwards  to  his  daughter: — 

"  London,  May  31,  1832. 

"  One  line,  if  it  be  only  to  say  that  we  are  well  and  happy.  I  ear- 
nestly hope  that  you  are  the  same.  Pray  enjoy  yourself  all  you  can  : 
you  are  entitled  to  a  holiday. 

"  I  had  a  successful  though  laborious  day  yesterday.  City  Com- 
mittees till  10  o'clock;  Secondary  Punishments  from  1  till  4 ;  a  ride; 
Criminal  Law  from  5  till  1 1  ;  the  motion  carried. 


246  PERSECUTION  OF  MISSIONARIES.       [CHAP.  xvm. 


exclaim! morrow'  the  West-Ind;es  Committee  meets  for  the  first  time, 
pounds    a11  your  Partv'  and  above  a11  to  yourself,  my  daughter,  sister, 
1 1    .'companion,  counsellor." 

in  tnc,rsuant  to  the  amended  resolution,  a  committee  was  named, 
^  c/hich  Sir  James  Graham  was  chairman.  It  prosecuted  its 
Y  .  astigations  from  the  1st  of  June  to  the  llth  of  August.  Yet 
j  is  period  was  far  too  short  for  it  to  receive  half  the  evidence 
which  each  side  was  eager  to  bring  before  it,  and  it  broke  up 
without  coming  to  a  definite  conclusion ;  stating  only  that  the 
condition  of  the  affairs  disclosed  by  its  inquiries  demanded  the 
earliest  and  most  serious  attention  of  the  Legislature. 

Much  of  the  evidence  related  to  the  insurrection  of  the 
negroes  in  Jamaica,  which  had  been  followed  by  proceedings  on 
the  part  of  the  colonists,  equally  deserving  the  name  of  insur- 
rection, had  they  not  been  perpetrated  by  the  militia,  the 
magistrates,  and  the  gentry  of  the  island.  These  persons  had 
come  to  a  resolution  to  maintain  slavery,  by  putting  down  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  negroes.  They  accordingly  de- 
stroyed seventeen  chapels,*  and  inflicted  upon  the  pastors  and 
their  flocks  every  species  of  cruelty  and  insult.  "  I  stake  my 
character,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  "  on  the  accuracy  of  the  fact,  that 
negroes  have  been  scourged  to  the  very  borders  of  the  grave, 
uncharged  with  any  crime,  save  that  of  worshipping  their  God." 
He  adds,  in  reference  to  the  unfortunate  missionaries, — 

"  There  have  not  been,  in  our  day,  such  persecutions  as  these  brave 
and  good  men  have  been  constrained  to  endure.  Hereafter  we  must 
make  selections  among  our  missionaries.  Is  there  a  man  whose  timid 
or  tender  spirit  is  unequal  to  the  storm  of  persecution  ?  Send  him  to 
the  savage, — expose  him  to  the  cannibal, — save  his  life  by  directing  his 
steps  to  the  rude  haunts  of  the  barbarian.  But  if  there  is  a  man  of  a 
stift'er,  sterner  nature,  a  man  willing  to  encounter  obloquy,  torture,  and 
death,  let  him  be  reserved  for  the  tender  mercies  of  our  Christian 
brethren  and  fellow-countrymen,  the  planters  of  Jamaica."! 

The  more  obnoxious  missionaries,  particularly  Messrs.  Knibb 
and  Burchell,  were  driven  from  the  island,  and  arrived  in  Eng- 
land at  the  very  juncture  when  their  evidence  before  the  Com- 

*  See  '  Report  of  the  Committee,'  p.  270. 
f  '  Anti-Slavery  Reporter,'  vol.  v.  p.  149. 


1832.]  EFFECT  OF  THE  DEBATE  ON  THE  GOVERNMENT.  249 

mittees  was  of  the  utmost  value,  and  went  forth  to  the  country 
under  Parliamentary  sanction.  They  then  travelled  through 
England  and  Scotland,  holding  meetings  in  all  the  principal 
towns,  and  their  eloquent  appeals  produced  a  great  effect  upon 
the  public  mind.  Nothing,  in  fact,  contributed  more  powerfully 
to  arouse  the  "  religious  world  "  to  a  sense  of  their  duty  with 
regard  to  the  question  of  slavery.  Mr.  Buxton  frequently  ad- 
verted to  the  overruling  hand  of  Providence,  which  had  thus 
turned  the  intolerance  of  the  system  to  its  own  destruction. 

The  investigations  of  the  Committees  of  both  Houses  were 
published  together,  and  the  general  impression  was,  that  they 
had  established  two  points  :  First,  that  slavery  was  an  evil  for 
which  there  was  no  remedy  but  extirpation  ;  secondly,  that  its 
extirpation  would  be  safe. 

The  nation  willingly  acceded  to  these  conclusions,  and  im- 
patiently desired  to  act  upon  them.  How  they  affected  the 
minds  of  those  in  office  we  shall  presently  learn. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  slavery  question  when  the  session 
closed  ;  and  Mr.  Buxton  returned  with  his  family  to  North  repps. 
During  a  short  visit  to  London,  in  September,  he  thus  writes  to 
his  daughter  :• — 

"  Spitalfields,  Sept.  27,  1832. 

"  Yesterday  I  got  through  all  my  business  well ;  we  had  really  an 
excellent  Bible  Meeting,  and  we  have  resolved  to  reform  our  auxiliary, 
upon  the  celebrated  plan  adopted  by  the  ladies  at  Cromer.  I  saw  T.  B. 
Macaulay  yesterday  :  he  told  me  one  thing,  which  has  much  occupied 
my  mind  ever  since,  and  which  furnished  the  subject-matter  of  my 
meditations  as  I  rode  by  the  light  of  the  stars  to  Upton  last  night.  He 
said,  '  You  know  how  entirely  everybody  disapproved  of  your  course 
in  your  motion,  and  thought  you  very  wrong,  very  hard-hearted,  and 
very  headstrong;  but  two  or  three  days  after  the  debate,  Lord  Althorp 
said  to  me,  "  That  division  of  Buxlorfs  lias  settled  the  slavery  question. 
If  he  can  get  ninety  to  vote  with  him  when  he  is  wrong,  and  when 
most  of  those  really  interested  in  the  subject  vote  against  him,  he  can 
command  a  majority  when  he  is  right.  The  question  is  settled:  the 
Government  see  it,  and  they  will  take  it  up."  '  So  reported  Macaulay  ; 
and  he  added,  '  Sir  James  Graham  told  me  yesterday,  that  the  Govern- 
ment meet  in  a  week ;  they  will  then  divide  themselves  into  committees 
on  the  three  or  four  leading  questions,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  them. 
Slavery  is  one.'  Now  it  is  not  so  much  the  fact  that  Government  are 


250  CAUSES  WHICH  LED  TO  THE  DIVISION.   [CHAP.  xvm. 

going  to  take  into  their  own  hands  the  question,  for  the  purpose  of 
settling  it,  which  occupied  my  mind,  as  the  consideration  of  the  mode 
by  which  we  were  led  to  that  division,  to  which  such  important  conse- 
quences attach.  It  certainly  was  not  the  wisdom  of  my  coadjutors;  for, 
with  the  exception  of  my  own  family,  Hoare,  Evans,  Johnston,  and  one 
or  two  others,  they  were  all  directly  at  variance  with  me.  Brougham, 
when  he  heard  of  my  obstinacy,  said, '  Is  the  man  mad  ?  does  he  intend 
to  act  without  means  ?  He  must  give  way.'  It  really  was  not  the 
wisdom  of  my  counsellors,  and  as  certainly  it  was  not  either  my  own 
wisdom  or  resolution.  1  felt,  it  is  true,  clear  that  I  was  right;  but  I 
did  not  find  it  easy  to  explain  the  reason  why  I  was  so  clear. 

"  Then  as  to  the  resolution,  I  found  it  very  difficult  to  stand  firm. 
I  felt  far  more  distressed  than  I  ought  to  have  done  at  acting  in  hos- 
tility to  my  friends.  I  was  unusually  weak  on  that  point.  What  then 
led  to  the  division  ?  If  ever  there  was  a  subject  which  occupied  our 
prayers,  it  was  this.  Do  you  remember  how  we  desired  that  God 
would  give  me  His  Spirit  in  that  emergency,  that  He  would  rise  up  as 
the  champion  of  the  oppressed  ?  How  we  quoted  the  promise,  '  He 
that  lacketh  wisdom,  let  him  ask  it  of  the  Lord,  and  it  shall  be  given 
him '  ?  And  how  I  kept  open  that  passage  in  the  Old  Testament,  in 
which  it  is  said  (2  Chron.  chap.  xx.  12),  '  We  have  no  might  against 
this  great  company  that  cometh  against  us :  neither  know  we  what  to 
do,  but  our  eyes  are  upon  thee :'  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  replying,  '  Be 
not  afraid  nor  dismayed  by  reason  of  this  great  multitude,  for  the  battle 
is  not  yours,  but  God's'  ?  If  you  want  to  see  the  passage,  open  my 
Bible ;  it  will  turn  of  itself  to  the  place.  I  sincerely  believe  that 
prayer  was  the  cause  of  that  division  ;  and  I  am  confirmed  in  this,  by 
knowing  that  we  by  no  means  calculated  on  the  effect  which  that  divi- 
sion seems  likely  to  produce.  The  course  we  took  appeared  to  be 
right,  and  we  followed  it  blindly. 

"  I  must  now  leave  off.  I  am  going  to  Sir  James  Graham,  and  the 
Colonial  Office,  to-morrow,  to  see  what  I  can  pick  up." 

It  was  not  only  from  his  antagonists  that  Mr.  Buxton  en- 
countered opposition ;  the  storm  at  times  was  almost  as  fierce 
from  those  who  were  as  ardent  as  himself  in  the  cause  of  emanci- 
pation. On  the  eve  of  the  election  of  1832,  he  suggested,  in  a 
letter  to  Sir  George  Chetwynd,  that  the  pledge  to  be  asked 
from  candidates  at  elections  should  be,  that  they  would  aim  at 
"  the  extinction  of  slavery,  at  the  earliest  period  coiHjHifiMc  /rith 
the  safety  of  all  classes."  This  last  condition  was  unacceptable 
to  one  section  of  the  Anti-slavery  party,  whose  zeal  could  no 


1832.]  ATTACK  ON  MR.  BUXTON— HIS  REPLY.  251 

longer  brook  any  degree  of  moderation.  The  following  burst  of 
"indignant  astonishment"  was  from  the  pen  of  one  of  these 
impetuous  advocates : — 

"  I  have  long  condemned  the  advocates  of  emancipation,  because  they 
have  not  sought  the  deliverance  of  the  slave  till  it  suited  the  con- 
venience of  his  oppressor  to  let  him  go  free.  *  *  *  To  be  candid,  Sir,  I 
would  rather  see  you  throw  up  your  brief,  and  take  a  retaining  fee  from 
the  planters,  than  that  you  should,  in  a  reformed  Parliament,  bring 
forward  a  motion  in  accordance  with  the  sentiments  expressed  in  your 
letter  to  Sir  G.  Chetwynd.  And  if  you  appear  as  the  advocate  of  such 
a  profane  measure,  we  will  look  to  some  more  enlightened  advocate  to 
forward  that  cause  which  must  be  carried." 

Mr.  Buxton's  reply  was  as  follows  : — 

"  Xorthrepps,  Oct.  15,  1832. 

"Dear  Sir,' — I  am  so  thoroughly  inured  to  expressions  of  the 
strongest  condemnation  from  all  sides,  as  to  my  course  with  regard  to 
slavery,  that  I  should  scarcely  be  prevailed  on  to  notice  those  I  have 
received  from  you,  were  it  not  that  I  like  the  spirit  which  dictates 
them,  and  should  be  glad  if  it  were  more  general.  Without  therefore 
noticing  the  violence  of  your  expressions,  or  questioning  their  propriety 
towards  one  who,  however  unworthy  and  unsuccessful,  has  certainly 
been  for  many  years  almost  wholly  devoted  to  this  cause,  let  me 
attempt  to  justify  the  letter  to  which  you  refer.  I  said  to  Sir  George 
Chetwynd,  as  I  have  said  on  every  other  occasion,  and  as  the  words  of 
my  motion  expressed,  that  my  aim  was  'emancipation  at  the  earliest 
period  compatible  with  the  personal  safety  of  all  classes.'  Where  did 
you  fintl  a  word  of  '  convenience'  ?  How  little  do  you  know  the  heavy 
battles  I  have  had  to  fight  on  this  very  point !  If  the  emancipa- 
tion of  the  slaves  were  in  my  power  I  could  not  dare  to  accomplish  it 
without  previous  police  regulations,  which  is  all  the  delay  I  mean. 
These  ought  to  be  undertaken  instantly ;  for  I  know  our  power  of  eman- 
cipating in  one  way  or  another  is  fast  drawing  to  a  close :  I  mean,  that 
the  negroes  will  take  the  work  into  their  own  hands.  But  whoever  else 
is  willing  to  undertake  the  weight  of  so  enormous  a  responsibility,  /  am 
not,  without  considering  the  personal  safety  of  all  classes.  If  you,  my 
dear  Sir,  can  send  some  '  more  enlightened  advocate,'  you  may  believe 
me,  that  we  are  far  too  much  oppressed  and  borne  down  with  the  weight 
of  our  task  in  parliament  not  to  hail  his  assistance,  however  given.  But 
in  the  mean  time  I  must  take  the  liberty  of  saying  that  I  did  not  under- 
take this  serious  work  at  man's  bidding ;  nor  shall  I,  I  trust,  lay  it 
down  at  the  bidding  either  of  enemies  or  friends. 


252  LETTERS.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

"  With  every  good  wish,  and  begging  you  to  continue  your  exertions, 
and  to  blame  me  as  much  as  you  please  if  it  will  stir  up  one  of  our  friends, 
I  am,  dear  Sir,  yours,  very  truly, 

"  T.  FOWELL  BUXTOIT. 

"  P.S. — Perhaps  you  will  let  my  friend  Sturge  see  this  letter,  and 
pray  believe  that  I  write  in  perfect  good  humour." 

The  day  of  freedom  for  the  slaves  was  now  evidently  dawning, 
and  the  autumn  was  spent  in  the  welcome  though  anxious  task 
of  preparing  for  that  long-sought  consummation.  In  November 
he  went  up  to  London  to  discuss  his  plans  with  Dr.  Lushington  : 
from  thence  he  writes : — 

TO  MISS  BUXTOX. 

"  Nov.  8,  1832. 

"  Thanks  for  your  letters,  which  always  cheer  me.  We  had  a  capi- 
tal meeting  at  Lushington 's  last  night,  arranging  our  plan  of  Emanci- 
pation ;  we  made  good  progress.  This  morning  I  saw  the  Government 
on  it,  and  they  are  well  satisfied  ;  our  views  are  so  much  in  unison  with 
their  own." 

TO  ZACHARY  MACAULAY,  ESQ. 

"  Dec.  1832. 

"  I  am  waiting  for  Lushington's  plan.  My  conclusion  is,  that  we 
must  stick  firm  and  fast  to  our  claims  of  justice.  Immediate  and  total 
emancipation  is  our  right,  and  if  we  yield  an  iota  of  it,  it  must  be  not 
for  the  sake  of  the  planter,  nor  for  the  sake  of  Government,  but  for  the 
benefit  of  the  negro  ;  and  we  must  give  up  no  more  than  it  is  the  interest 
of  the  negro  to  surrender.  In  short,  we  must  fight  the  battle  with  a 
single  eye  to  the  benefit  of  our  clients  the  slaves." 

TO  MISS  BUXTOX. 

"  Weymoutb,  Dec.  14,  1832. 

"  Here  is  my  first  frank  in  this  parliament ;  I  trust  that  before  I  give 
my  last  the  negroes  will  be  elevated  to  the  rank  of  freemen  and  Chris- 
tians, and  all  in  peace.  I  find  by  Cropper's  letter  that  I  am  standing 
for  the  north  division  of  the  county  of  Lancaster ;  but  I  hope  my  letter 
will  be  in  time  to  stop  all  proceedings.  The  election  closed  yesterday  in 
a  way  which  was  very  gratifying,  and  even  touching  tome.  The  town, 
i.  e.  the  voters  on  both  sides,  took  the  alarm  lest  I  should  be  thrown  out, 
and  I  found  they  had,  in  very  many  instances,  reserved  their  votes  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  me  plumpers  if  needful.  They  have  shown  a 


1832.]  LETTERS.  253 

degree  of  feeling,  interest,  and  anxiety  for  me  which  I  hardly  expected, 
and  I  now  see  that  I  had  a  strength  in  reserve  which  rendered  my  defeat 
impossible.  I  am  now  going  to  be  chaired.  I  wish  the  boys  were  here 
to  '  pursue  the  triumph  and  partake  the  shout.' 

"  I  saw  the  sun  rise  in  gold  out  of  the  sea,  with  Portland  in  the  fore- 
ground, this  morning.  I  never  saw  anything  so  grand  or  so  sublime.  I 
am  quite  well  and  very  cheery." 


254  MEETING  OF  PARLIAMENT.  [CHAP.  xix. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

1833. 

Opening  of  the  Session  —  Government  undertakes  the  Slavery  Question  — 
Increase  of  Public  Feeling  —  Anxiety  as  to  the  Intentions  of  Government 
—  Negotiations  —  Day  fixed  for  the  Motion  —  Disappointment  —  Agita-' 
lion  resolved  on  — Whitely's  Pamphlet  —  Compensation  —  Anti-Slavery 
Meeting  —  The  Nation  aroused  —  Delegates  summoned  —  Meeting  of 
Delegates. 

MR.  BUXTON  began  this  year — the  most  important  of  his  life — 
by  publishing  a  brief  address  to  the  members  of  the  Established 
Church,  in  which  he  invited  them,  together  with  the  principal 
Dissenting  bodies,  to  unite  in  setting  apart  the  16th  of  January 
as  a  day  of  prayer  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  In  his  own  prayers 
it  was  never  forgotten.  Just  before  the  session  commenced  he 
thus  refers  to  it  in  one  of  his  papers. 

"  Northrepps,  Sunday,  Feb.  3,  1833. 

"  I  go  to  London  to-morrow.  Parliament  meets  on  Tuesday,  and  I 
have  reason  to  hope  that  the  King's  speech  will  declare  that  Govern- 
ment has  resolved  to  effect  the  total  and  immediate  emancipation  of  the 
slaves. 

"  This  then  is  a  season,  if  ever  there  was  one,  for  fervent  prayer  to 
thee,  Almighty  God,  that  the  light  of  thy  countenance  may  rest  on  that 
good  cause,  and  on  me,  one  of  its  advocates  ;  on  my  dear  wife  and 
children,  who  will  be  with  me  in  London ;  on  those  who  will  remain 
here ;  on  those  to  whom  they  will  be  entrusted ;  on  my  friends  and 
relations ;  in  short,  on  all  things  and  all  persons  who  are  dear  to  me. 

"  But  first  let  me  commemorate  thy  mercies  during  the  six  months  we 
have  been  here.  There,  too,  my  cause,  or  rather  let  me  say  thy  cause, 
the  liberation  of  the  oppressed  slave,  has  prospered.  I  have  had  suffi- 
cient health  of  body  and  vigour  of  mind  in  working  at  that  cause  to  con- 
vince myself  that  I  have  not  been  altogether  a  faithless  and  indolent 
steward. 

"  Now  that  I  am  about  to  quit  this  peaceful  haven,  and  embark  on  a 
tumultuous  sea,  what  provision  and  safeguard  of  prayer  do  I  desire  to 
carry  with  me  ? 


1833.]  THE  KING'S  SPEECH.  255 

f  "  Grant  that  I  and  all  of  us  may  be  strengthened  with  might  by  thy 
Spirit  in  the  inner  man,  and  that  Christ  may  dwell  in  our  hearts  by 
faith.  That  is  my  prayer  as  to  the  spirit  which  may  reign  within.  And 
my  general  prayer  as  to  our  external  actions  is  the  collect  of  the  day, 
fourth  Sunday  after  Epiphany.  *  *  *  I  beg  with  peculiar  earnest- 
ness that  the  incomparable  treasure  of  thy  blessing  may  be  with  our 
sisters  at  the  cottage.  Health  to  them,  if  I  may  ask  it;  but,  at  all 
events,  the  canopy  of  thy  wings  round  about  them,  especially  in  the 
watches  of  the  night ;  strength,  support,  hope,  and  comfort  in  the  hours 
of  illness.  I  pass  through  a  chosen  list  of  friends  and  relations,  and 
pray  thee  to  give  to  each  the  peculiar  gift  which  shall  tend  most  to  their 
earthly  joy  and  the  welfare  of  their  souls ;  and  do  thou  discharge  the 
debts  of  love  and  gratitude  I  owe  them. 

44  For  the  slavery  cause  my  prayer  is,  that  thou  wouldst  not  leave  it  to 
the  weakness  and  folly  of  man,  but  that  thou  wouldst  rise  up  as  its  advo- 
cate, and  wouldst  dispose  all  hearts  and  mould  all  events  by  Thine 
Almighty  power,  to  the  accomplishment  of  that  which  is  good  and  right. 
Oh  give  these  thy  unhappy  creatures  their  liberty — and  that  liberty  in 
peace,  and  protect  their  masters  from  ruin  and  desolation.  In  my  labours 
give  me  always  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  the  spirit  of  confidence  in  thee; 
4  The  battle  is  not  mine,  but  God's ;'  and  the  spirit  of  discretion  and  re- 
solution ;  '  Thine  ear  shall  hear  a  word  behind  thee,  saying,  This  is  the 
way,  walk  ye  in  it,  when  ye  turn  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.'" 

It  was  generally  understood  that  Earl  Grey's  government  was 
about  to  undertake  the  settlement  of  the  question,  and  Mr.  Bux- 
ton  went  down  to  the  House  of  Lords  on  the  5th  of  February, 
in  full  expectation  of  hearing  from  the  King's  speech  that  one  of 
the  great  measures  of  the  session  was  to  be  the  emancipation  of 
the  slaves.  Great  was  his  disappointment  when  the  speech  closed 
•without  any  allusion  whatever  to  the  subject.  He  hastened  back 
to  the  House  of  Commons,  and  immediately  on  the  Speaker's 
return  gave  notice  of  a  motion  on  the  19th  of  March  for  the 
abolition  of  slavery.  A  few  minutes  afterwards  one  of  his 
friends  hurried  up  to  him,  and  said,  "  I  have  just  been  with 
Brougham  and  Goderich,  and  they  conjure  you  to  do  nothing 
hastily ;  you  will  wreck  the  cause  if  you  do."  "  What !  not 
give  notice  of  a  motion  ?  "  said  he.  '•  0,  no  !  by  no  means," 
was  the  reply  ;  "  you  will  knock  the  whole  thing  over."  "  JSut 
it's  done  !  "  said  Mr.  Buxton.  This  prompt  proceeding  had  an 
immediate  effect  on  the  Ministers.  He  writes  two  days  later  to 
Mr.  Joseph  John  Gurney: — 


25G  INCREASE  OF  PUBLIC  FEELING.          [CHAP.  xix. 

"  London,  Feb.  7,  1833. 

"  You  may  suppose  that  I  was  affronted  and  vexed  at  the  silence  of 
the  King's  speech.  I  instantly  gave  notice  of  a  motion,  and  last  night, 
as  you  will  see  by  the  papers,  I  asked  the  Government  what  their  inten- 
tions were.  They  replied,  that  they  would  undertake  the  question,  and 
introduce  'a  safe  and  satisfactory  measure.'  I  feel  excessively  relieved 
and  delighted,  and  not  a  little  thankful  for  this  great  mercy."  * 

He  says,  in  a  hurried  note  to  Miss  Gurney,  dated  from  the 
House  of  Commons  : — 

"  The  Government  have  to-night  taken  the  slave  question  into  their 
own  hands,  promising  to  settle  it  '  in  a  safe  and  satisfactory  manner.' 
This  delights  me,  and  now  I  scorn  those  critics  who  maintain  that  the 
children  of  Ham  ought  to  be  flogged  by  all  good  Christians/' 

A  government  must  have  been  shortsighted  indeed  which 
could  have,  hoped  to  keep  clear  of  this  great  question.  Public 
feeling  had  been  of  late  gathering  with  prodigious  rapidity,  and 
a  crisis  was  evidently  near.  The  outcry  against  slavery  seemed 
to  be  rising  at  once  from  every  corner  of  the  land.  Men  of  all 
ranks,  of  all  denominations,  were  joining  in  the  attack.  And  the 
House  itself,  where  but  a  few  years  before  scarcely  half  a  dozen 
hearty  advocates  for  emancipation  could  have  been  numbered, 
was  now  filled  with  zealous  friends  of  the  cause.  This  rapid 
growth  of  popular  opinion  may  be  in  some  measure  attributed  to 
the  exertions  of  a  sub-committee  of  the  Anti-slavery  Society, 
called  the  agency  committee,  established  by  some  of  the  more 
ardent  friends  of  emancipation,  who,  weary  of  parliamentary 
delays,  were  anxious  to  appeal  to  the  people,  and  had  taken  great 
pains  by  lectures  and  other  methods  to  disseminate  information 
through  the  country.  The  settlement  of  the  Reform  question 
also  in  the  previous  year  had  been  eminently  favourable  to  the 
anti-slavery  movement ;  not  merely  because  the  nation's  will  now 
held  greater  sway  in  Parliament,  but  also  because  the  late  strug- 
gles had  roused  without  wearing  out  the  nation's  feelings,  and 
never  are  those  feelings  so  readily  called  forth  as  when  just  lulled 
after  a  storm. 

The  country  being  thus  at  leisure  for  the  strife,  with   kindled 

*  "  The  smiles  on  his  countenance  are  delightful  to  see,"  says  oue  of  the 
family  letters. 


1833.]  INCREASE  OF  PUBLIC  FEELING.  257 

energies  and  the  power  to  enforce  her  will,  we  cannot  wonder  at 
the  sudden  increase  of  velocity  with  which  anti-slavery  principles 
spread  through  the  nation  in  1832-3.  But  the  principles  them- 
selves were  not  tho  growth  of  a  day.  They  had  been  sown  when 
the  spirit  of  Christianity  awoke  again  in  England  towards  the 
latter  part  of  the  last  century.  The  anti-slavery  movement 
sprang  from  religious  principle,  and  thence  came  its  strength. 

Some  may  think  that  the  people  were  misled  in  fancying 
slavery  to  have  been  cruel  and  unchristian  ;  others  will  think 
that  the  pictures  drawn  of  its  horrors  were  outdone  by  the  reality; 
but  in  either  case  thus  much  is  clear,  that  the  people  had  no  end 
of  their  own  to  gain  :  that  they  were,  for  a  while  at  least,  looking 
off  from  their  own  interests  to  shield  those  of  others.  It  was  a 
movement  of  a  character  as  .yet  scarcely  known  in  the  annals  of 
mankind.  Instances  we  have  in  history  of  a  nation  arousing 
itself  and  demanding  deliverance  from  its  own  wrongs,  and  there 
are  few  spectacles  more  great  and  noble.  But  in  the  deed  before 
us  virtue  was  exhibited  of  a  far  rarer  kind.  Impelled  by  the 
pure  motive  of  mercy  and  justice,  unsullied  by  selfish  views,  the 
English  nation  rose  up  as  one  man  to  befriend  a  far  distant  people, 
itself  undergoing  a  heavy  sacrifice,  that  oppression  might  cease 
out  of  the  land. 

It  lias  been  mentioned  that  the  House  itself  partook  of  the 
same  impetus  as  the  people.  This  welcome  change  is  thus  re- 
ferred to  in  one  of  the  letters  written  to  Northrepps  Cottage : — 

"  My  father  tells  us  that  the  number  of  strangers  who  have  come  up 
and  addressed  him  is  extraordinary ;  and  all  on  this  subject.  One 
gentleman,  member  for  an  agricultural  county,  told  him  that  he  had 
been  five  months  canvassing,  and  that  all  the  way  through,  instead  of 
Corn  Laws,  or  anything  else,  slavery  was  the  cry.  At  one  out-of-the- 
way  village  they  began  by  asking  him  whether  he  was  trying  to  get  into 
the  Lords  or  Commons  ?  '  But,'  they  said,  '  whichever  you  do  get  into, 
you  must  vote  for  the  poor  slaves.'  So  it  appears  that  there  is  quite  a 
band  in  the  House,  and  an  army  out  of  it.  My  father  is  very  often  with 
the  ministers,  and  seems,  on  the  whole,  well  satisfied.  He  said  yester- 
day to  Lord  Howick  (the  Under  Secretary  for  the  Colonies),  '  Lord 
Ilowick,you  hear  both  sides  ;  now  tell  me  fairly,  have  we  exaggerated  ? 
Are  our  statements  correct  or  incorrect?'  The  answer  was,  '  I  cannot 
say  that  they  are  correct,  for  they  are  vastly  understated.  You  know 
not  one-half  of  the  evils  of  the  system  ;  you  have  not  brought  to  light 

s 


25S  ANXIETY  AS  TO  THE  INTENTIONS        [CHAP.  xix. 

half  its  wickedness.'     '  Well,'  he  said,   '  bring  in  your  bill,  my  lord,  I 
will  act  under  you  as  soon  as  you  please.'  " 

But  while  Mr.  Buxton  was  quite  willing  to  give  up  the  con- 
duct of  the  case  to  the  ministers,  he  did  not  cease  to  watch  their 
proceedings  with  the  utmost  vigilance.  Hopes  and  fears  alter- 
nated as  to  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  measures  that  were  to 
be  expected  from  them,  and  as  the  time  advanced  he  became 
more  and  more  uneasy. 

He  had  consented  to  abstain  from  making  his  motion  on  the 
19th  of  March,  on  the  condition  that  the  ministers  would  them- 
selves bring  in  "a  safe  and  satisfactory  measure;"  but  some 
weeks  had  now  elapsed,  and  still  not  one  word  had  been  said 
publicly  as  to  their  intention  of  fulfilling  their  pledge.  They 
had  named  no  day  for  a  motion ;  they  had  officially  announced 
no  plan  ;  and  rumours  got  abroad  that  there  were  divisions  in 
the  camp,  that  the  Government  collectively  had  by  no  means 
decided  on  adopting  the  vigorous  steps  which  some  of  its  mem- 
bers proposed. 

From  ten  years'  experience,  Mr.  Buxton  had  but  too  well 
learnt  the  immense  weight  of  the  West  Indian  party  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  nation.  He  knew  also  that  the  Government  had  the 
questions  of  Finance,  India,  and  the  Church  to  grapple  with 
during  this  session,  and  were  probably  not  so  impressed  as  him- 
self with  the  extreme  danger  of  delaying  the  emancipation  of  the 
slaves.  He  could  not,  therefore,  but  feel  it  a  cause  for  alarm, 
that  notwithstanding  Lord  Althorp's  promise  of  a  safe  and  satis- 
factory measure,  so  long  a  period  should  have  elapsed  without 
the  appearance  of  any  measure  at  all.  "  He  is  much  depn 
because  the  ministers  do  not  name  a  day  ;  he  does  not  know 
whether  or  not  to  execute  his  threat  of  bringing  his  motion  for- 
ward next  Tuesday ;  for  this  he  is  almost  unprepared  :  and 
besides,  they  promise  so  well  that  it  seems  doubtful  whether  it 
would  be  right  or  politic  to  go  to  war  with  them.  He  sleeps 
badly  and  is  very  anxious."* 

Since  the  ministers  were  thus  overwhelmed  with  business,  and 
fettered  by  their  relations  with  the  West  Indian  proprietors,  it 
may  naturally  be  asked,  why  did  he  leave  the  question  in  their 

*  Letter  to  Northrepps  Cottage,  March  10. 


1833.]  OF  GOVERNMENT.  259 

hands  ?  Backed  by  such  a  band  of  followers,  why  did  he  not 
wield  all  his  powers,  and  drive  forward  the  measure  with  his  own 
hand  ?  It  was  because  he  believed  that,  while  emancipation  in 
the  end  was  certain,  it  was  only  as  a  cabinet  measure  that  it  could 
be  carried  through  during  this  session  ;  and  delay,  fraught  as  it 
might  be  with  servile  revolt,  was  the  one  thing  that  he  most 
dreaded.  He  contented  himself  therefore  with  spurring  on  the 
Government,  resolving  not  to  take  the  lead  unless  compelled  to 
do  so.  Nothing  drew  such  notice  from  his  friends  as  the  indif- 
ference he  evinced  as  to  any  personal  credit  to  himself.  "  It  is 
surprising,"  writes  one  of  them,  "  how  he  puts  himself  entirely 
out  of  the  question.  It  does  not  seem  to  excite  one  feeling  in 
his  mind,  whether,  after  all  his  toils,  he  is  to  appear  in  the  matter 
or  not.  He  seems  to  care  for  nothing,  but  the  advancement  of 
the  cause." 

His  whole  heart  and  soul,  in  fact,  were  given  up  to  the  work, 
and  the  depth  and  intensity  of  his  feelings  were  visible  in  all  his 
deportment ;  he  looked  pale  and  careworn,  and  his  tall  figure 
began  to  show  signs  of  stooping.  He  spoke  little,  and  was  con- 
tinually engrossed  in  thought.  His  demeanour  could  not  be 
more  exactly  portrayed  than  by  Spenser's  lines  : — 

"  But  little  joye  had  he  to  talke  of  ought, 
Or  ought  to  hcare  that  mote  delightful  be ; 
His  mind  was  sole  possessed  of  one  thought 
That  gave  none  other  place." 

So  abstracted  used  he  to  become  when  engaged  in  his  fits  of 
musing,  that  often  some  minutes  would  elapse  before  a  reply 
could  be  obtained  for  the  simplest  question.* 

The  19th  of  March  was  now  approaching.  A  letter  written 
a  few  days  afterwards  describes  the  difficulties  of  the  crisis. 

"  Ever  since  the  notice  was  given  on  the  first  night  of  the  session," 
writes  his  daughter,  "  my  lather  has  been  engaged  in  an  anxious  nego- 
tiation with  the  ministers,  who  have  been  endeavouring  to  offer  terms 
just  sufficiently  favourable  to  prevent  him  from  adopting  active  measures ; 


*  At  this  period  he  was  threatened  with  a  petition  against  his  return  for 
\Veymouth,  which  seemed  likely  to  be  troublesome  and  expensive,  but  was 
afterwards  withdrawn.  It  being  remarked  by  a  friend  how  provoking  was 
this  attempt  to  annoy  him,  "  Oh,"  he  replied,  "  it  is  a  thousand  leagues 
behind  my  slavery  matters  to  me." 

S  2 


260  A  DAY  FIXED  FOR  THE  MOTION.  [CHAP.  xix. 

but  on  Saturday  the  16th  of  March  all  hope  appeared  to  be  at  an  end  ; 
no  day  had  been  mentioned  by  the  Government,  and  he  felt  that  he 
must  now  make  up  his  mind  without  delay.  He  accordingly  addressed 
a  letter  to  Lord  Althorp  telling  him  so  in  very  decided  terms,  and  took 
it  himself  to  Downing  Street.  He  found  that  a  council  was  sitting,  and 
the  porter  refused  to  take  in  his  letter;  just  then  the  Duke  of  Richmond 
went  in,  and  kindly  undertook  to  deliver  it ;  but  my  father  soon  received 
a  message  that  they  could  give  no  answer. 

"  On  Monday  the  18th  he  went  down  to  the  House,  at  twelve  o'clock, 
armed  with  numerous  petitions  (one  from  Glasgow  signed  by  31,000 
people),  and  took  the  opportunity  of  saying  that  he  should  certainly 
bring  on  his  motion  the  next  day,  '  as  he  had  no  alternative  left  him  ;'* 
afterwards  he  received  intelligence  that  the  Government  intended  to 
deprive  him  of  the  day.  He  went  down  again  at  five  o'clock,  seated 
himself  behind  Lord  Althorp,  and  said,  '  So  I  hear  these  are  your 
tactics.'  Lord  Althorp  replied,  '  that  they  really  were  obliged  to  do  so, 
they  were  in  such  a  strait.'  My  father  gave  him  to  understand  that  he 
should  resist  to  the  utmost,  and  was  determined  to  push  the  matter 
through.  After  a  good  deal  of  argument  and  hesitation,  Lord  Althorp 
said,  '  Well,  if  you  will  not  yield,  ice  must ;'  and  accordingly  agreed  to 
name  a  day  for  a  ministerial  motion  on  the  subject.  All  this  passed  in 
private  :  my  father,  still  feeling  uneasy,  as  no  public  declaration  had 
been  made,  would  not  leave  the  House  (which  was  then  in  committee 
on  the  Irish  Coercion  Bill).  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  Lord 
Althorp  got  up  and  moved  an  adjournment  of  the  debate  till  the  follow- 
ing day.  The  effect  of  this  would  have  been  to  deprive  him  of  his  day, 
he  therefore  went  across  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  table  and  said  aloud 
that  he  would  not  give  up  the  day  unless  he  had  satisfaction  from  the 
Government  respecting  the  abolition  of  slavery  ;  no  reply  was  made, 
but  the  threatened  adjournment  was  not  persisted  in.  Accordingly  the 
next  evening  he  rose  to  bring  forward  his  motion.  Lord  Althorp  then 
requested  him  to  postpone  it  to  a  future  time  ;  but  he  replied  that  he 
was  compelled  to  resist  the  request,  unless  upon  two  conditions :  first, 
that  the  Government  would  prepare  a  plan  for  the  complete  and  imme- 
diate abolition  of  slavery  ;  and  secondly,  that  they  would  fix  a  day  for 
introduciny  that  measure  to  the  House," 

"  '  I  see  clearly,'  he  said,  '  what  will  be  the  fate  of  this  great  question 
if  I  postpone  it  without  some  definite  assurance  that  it  will  be  brought 
before  the  consideration  of  the  House.  It  will  be  postponed  for  the 
session  *  *  *  and  then,  there  is  much  reason  to  fear,  it  will  be  settled 
elsewhere  in  the  most  disastrous  manner.  Therefore,  however  obstinate 


*  See  the  '  Mirror  of  Parliament,'  March  18,  1833. 


1833.]  DISAPPOINTMENT.  261 

I  may  appear,  and  however  painful  it  may  he  for  me  to  resist  the 
request,  before  made  to  me  in  private,  and  now  in  public,  by  the  noble 
Lord,  I  am  compelled  to  proceed  at  once  with  the  motion,  unless  His 
Majesty's  Government  can  fix  a  day  on  which  they  will  be  prepared  to 
explain  their  plans  with  respect  to  colonial  slaver}'.'* 

"  Lord  Althorp  upon  this  named  the  23rd  of  April,  and  then  my 
father  formally  told  the  Government  that  he  gave  up  the  question  into 
their  hands,  upon  the  security  of  the  declaration  made  to  him  that  the 
proposed  measure  was  to  be  safe  and  satisfactory." 

The  fears  by  which  he  had  been  harassed  lest  the  ministers 
should  allow  the  session  to  pass  away  without  bringing  any 
measure  forward,  were  now  at  an  end.  The  day  for  the  motion 
was  fixed,  and  when  this  long-desired  step  was  taken,  he  sank 
for  a  while  into  a  feeling  of  profound  repose.  He  was  able  to 
sleep  at  night,  and  began  to  resume  his  cheerfulness  of  manner. 
He  thought  that  as  the  Government  had  been  prevented  from 
delaying  the  question,  the  grand  point  was  gained  ;  and  that  it 
oaly  remained  for  him  and  his  friends  to  await  the  unfolding  of 
their  measure.  "  I  have  no  more  to  do  with  slavery  now  than 
any  other  gentleman,"  was  an  expression  frequently  on  his  lips 
during  that  interval  of  rest.  But  he  soon  found  that  he  had 
been  too  sanguine  ;  at  the  end  of  a  few  days  fresh  causes  of 
anxiety  began  to  arise.  To  his  dismay,  he  heard  a  rumour  that 
Lord  Howick,  on  the  soundness  of  whose  principles  he  thoroughly 
relied,  was  about  to  resign  his  place,  on  the  ground  that  the 
Cabinet  refused  to  concur  in  his  scheme  of  immediate  emanci- 
pation. Afterwards  he  learned  that  the  Government  were 
inclined  to  make  the  negroes  buy  out  their  own  freedom.  The 
details  of  the  measure  Mr.  Buxton  could  not  learn,  but  the  pro- 
cess was  sure  to  be  dilatory,  and  was  on  the  face  of  it  unjust. 
Full  of  chagrin  and  disappointment,  he  hurried  to  Dr.  Lush- 
ington.  They  agreed  to  call  a  special  committee  of  the  Anti- 
slavery  Society  on  the  following  day,  and  he  then  went  home, 
"  looking  as  if  some  heavy  misfortune  had  befallen  him."  The 
next  day  the  heads  of  the  party  met  to  deliberate  on  this  new 
turn  of  affairs.  Their  opinion  as  to  the  course  they  should 
pursue  was  unanimous.  The  higher  powers  were  clearly  about 

*  « Mirror  of  Parliament,'  March  19,  1833. 


262  WHITELY'S  PAMPHLET.  [CHAP.  xix. 

to  fail  them  ;   the  nation  was  firmly  on    their  side  :    why  not, 
then,  place  the  matter  in  the  nation's  hands? 

"  Flectere  si  nequeo  superos,  Acherouta  movebo," 

was  the  feeling  in  every  bosom  there. 

Having  resolved  to  arouse  the  people,  they  spared  no  pains  to 
do  so  with  effect ;  and,  in  this  endeavour,  a  most  opportune  aid 
was  afforded  them.  Just  at  the  time  when  they  were  anxious 
to  call  forth  a  burst  of  public  feeling,  Mr.  Buxton  being  one 
moi'ning  at  breakfast,  surrounded  as  usual  by  papers,  and  deep 
in  discussion  with  Mr.  George  Stephen,  a  young  man  named 
"\Vliitely  was  brought  in  and  introduced  to  him  by  Mr.  Pringle, 
as  a  book-keeper  who  had  just  returned  from  the  West  Indies. 
He  told  what  he  had  seen,  a  tale  of  cruelty  and  suffering  such 
as  Mr.  Buxton  had  heard  a  hundred  times  before.  The  young 
man  took  his  leave ;  but  scarcely  was  he  gone,  when  the  thought 
struck  Mr.  Buxton,  that  such  a  picture  fresh  from  the  spot  was 
the  very  thing  they  needed.  He  ran  into  the  street  without  his 
hat,  caught  "Whitely  as  lie  turned  the  corner  into  Portland  Place, 
and,  having  brought  him  back,  told  him  that  he  absolutely  must 
put  down  this  story  in  writing,  and  must  also  produce  certificates 
as  to  his  own  character.  These  certificates  proved  to  be  highly 
satisfactory,  and  in  a  few  days  the  pamphlet  was  in  print.* 

The  effect  was  prodigious.  The  narrative,  written  in  a  homely 
but  graphic  style,  realized  to  the  mmd  of  every  one  the  real 
import  of  what  he  had  previously  heard,  as  to  the  dwindling  of 
the  population  and  the  terrors  of  the  lash.  Truth,  too,  was 
stamped  on  every  word.  It  contained  indeed  nothing  new,  but 
in  reading  Whitely's  simple  narrative  of  the  common  incidents 
of  a  sugar  plantation,  the  whole  scene  appeared  to  stand  before 
the  eye.  The  driver  looking  on  with  lazy  indifference, — the 
piercing  cries  and  supplications  of  the  miserable  negro  woman 
brought  out  and  tied  down  upon  the  ground  to  receive  her 
punishment, — the  crack  of  the  fearful  cart-whip,  and  the  shriek 
of  agony  as  it  cut  deep  into  the  flesh, — appalling  as  the  descrip- 
tion was,  yet  no  man  could  deny  its  truth.  In  four  colonies, 

*  '  Three  Months  in  Jamaica,'  by  Henry  Whitely.     The  certificates  are 
given  at  the  end  of  the  pamphlet. 


1833.]  COMPENSATION.  2C3 

and  these  the  best  ordered,  the  planters  had  themselves  sworn  to 
the  infliction  of  sixty-eight  thousand  punishments  in  two  years. 
And  let  any  man  say  how  they  could  be  inflicted,  without  these 
circumstances  of  horrible  suffering  and  degradation. 

The  pamphlet  spread  abroad  with  wonderful  rapidity. 
"  Whiti'ly,"  says  a  letter  to  Northrepps,  "  nothing  but  Whitely, 
is  the  order  of  the  day  ;  the  sensation  it  creates  is  immense  ;  the 
printers  can  scarcely  supply  the  demand.  Mr.  Pringle  says 
ten  thousand  have  been  ordered  to-day."  In  short,  within  a 
fortnight's  time,  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  copies  were  scat- 
tered abroad. 

Eager  as  the  leaders  were  to  urge  the  Government  forward, 
by  turning  upon  them  a  strong  pressure  of  popular  opinion,  they 
were  at  the  same  time  most  anxious  to  preserve  their  alliance, 
and  keep  them  in  the  front  of  the  movement,  by  every  allowable 
concession.  And  the  first  concession  which  the  Government 
required  was  the  concurrence  of  the  abolitionists  in  granting 
compensation  to  the  planters. 

On  this  question  the  opinions  held  by  the  Anti-slavery  leaders 
were  not  those  of  the  main  body  of  their  followers.  The  former 
maintained,  that  neither  law  nor  custom  could  give  one  man  a 
real  claim  to  the  possession  of  another ;  and,  therefore,  they 
could  not  admit  that  the  planters  had  any  moral  right  to  com- 
pensation. On  the  other  hand,  they  were  both  willing  and 
desirous  to  give  compensation,  first,  because  they  thought  that  a 
bonus  to  the  planters  was  the  best  if  not  the  only  way  of  obtaining 
emancipation  with  safety  to  all  parties ;  secondly,  because  they 
heartily  desired  that,  while  the  negroes  were  set  at  liberty,  the 
planters  should  not  be  exposed  to  a  ruinous  loss.  But  the 
greater  number  of  their  followers  did  not  comprehend  the  real 
position  of  affairs.  They  were  not  aware  of  the  relative  strength 
of  the  three  parties  in  Parliament,  nor  did  they  perceive  that, 
unless  a  junction  were  effected  with  the  Government,  success 
could  not  be  insured  against  the  West  Indians. 

Carried  away  by  their  anxiety  to  do  justice  to  the  negro,  they 
deemed  all  compromise,  and  all  concession  to  his  owner,  a  dere- 
liction of  principle ;  nor  could  they  endure  the  idea  of  striking 
a  bargain  with  the  oppressor.  It  is  likely,  also,  that,  in  the 
minds  of  many,  a  feeling  of  personal  hostility  towards  the 


2G4  CHANGES  IN  THE  GOVERNMENT.         [CHAP.  xix. 

planters  had  grown  up  during  the  long  continuance  of  the  con- 
test. Mr.  Buxton  therefore,  and  his  more  temperate  coadjutors, 
had  no\v  to  undertake  that  task  which  has  so  frequently  de- 
throned the  leaders  of  a  popular  movement, — that  of  teaching 
their  followers  to  rein  in  their  zeal. 

It  was  determined  that  the  idea  of  acquiescing  in  some  system 
of  compensation  should  be  broached  to  the  Anti-slavery  Society 
at  its  approaching  annual  meeting.  This  meeting  was  held  on 
the  2nd  of  April :  Lord  Suffield  was  in  the  chair,  while  Mr. 
Buxton  undertook  the  delicate  task  of  introducing  the  proposal. 

His  friends  listened  with  extreme  anxiety  as  he  commenced 
his  speech  ;  for  a  time  he  seemed  to  hover  about  the  subject,  as 
if  shrinking  from  his  task ;  but  at  length  he  grappled  boldly 
with  it,  and  his  appeal  was  met  with  apparently  unanimous 
applause.  He  was  ably  followed  by  Dr.  Lushington,  Mr.  Joseph 
J.  Gurney,  and  others ;  and  their  exertions  appeared  to  be 
crowned  with  unexpected  success. 

But  nothing  can  be  more  transient  than  such  triumphs  of 
oratory,  which  can  only  withdraw  a  party  for  an  instant  from  its 
natural  career.  Smooth  as  the  beginning  seemed,  at  this  point 
commenced  divisions  in  the  ranks  of  the  abolitionists,  and  the 
seeds  of  discord  were  sown,  which  bore  fruit  in  due  season,  though 
happily  too  late  to  be  of  injury  to  the  cause. 

But  while  the  leaders  of  the  Anti-slavery  party  made  this 
concession  to  the  Government,  they  still  deemed  it  necessary  to 
rally  all  their  forces,  and  render  their  victory  complete.  The 
Government  certainly  was  pledged  to  effect  emancipation  ;  but 
the  details  of  their  measure — how  and  when  it  was  to  be  brought 
about — were  still  undetermined.  Lord  Goderich  had  been  cre- 
ated Earl  of  Ripon,  and  Mr.  Stanley  had  succeeded  him  as 
Secretary  of  the  Colonies,  while  Lord  Howick's  place  was  sup- 
plied by  Mr.  J.  Shaw  Le  Fevre.  The  change  of  hands  in  itself 
could  not  at  such  a  momentous  crisis  be  otherwise  regarded  than 
as  a  serious  disadvantage.  Mr.  Buxton  felt  great  anxiety  as  to 
the  line  that  would  be  adopted  by  the  new  Colonial  Secretary, 
and  he  watched  for  the  first  tokens  of  his  feelings  with  no  small 
solicitude.  He  greatly  regretted  the  loss  of  Lord  Howick  from 
the  Colonial  Office  ;  and  he  further  apprehended  that  the  change 
might  imply  an  intention  on  the  part  of  the  Government  to 


1833.]  THE  NATION  AROUSED.  265 

n  <ist  more  steadily  the  growing  pressure  of  Anti-slavery  feeling 
in  the  country. 

Nor  was  solicitude  confined  to  Mr.  Buxton  and  his  friends. 
The  Government  had  their  full  share  of  anxiety.  Indeed  Mr. 
Stanley's  position,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  conflicting  interests, 
was  one  of  great  difficulty,  and  he  found  it  necessary  to  post- 
pone his  motion  till  the  14th  of  May. 

Now,  therefore,  when  full  success  might  be  gained  by  a  vigo- 
rous effort,  or  lost  if  that  effort  were  not  made,  now  was  the 
time  to  bring  every  force  to  bear,  and  to  sweep  away  all  obstacles 
by  an  irresistible  impetus  of  public  feeling.  This  was  the  mo- 
ment to  make  the  Government  feel  to  what  a  pitch  the  hatred  of 
slavery  had  risen.  Nor  was  it  difficult.  The  meeting  in  Exeter 
Hall,  and  the  publication  of  "Whitely's  pamphlet,  had  led  the 
way.  These  first  steps  were  followed  up  by  the  most  vigorous 
proceedings,  under  the  direction  chiefly  of  Mr.  George  Stephen 
and  Mr.  Pringle,  whose  services  were  of  essential  value  at  this 
critical  juncture.  Lectures  were  delivered  in  all  the  Bounties  of 
the  kingdom.  Crowded  meetings  were  everywhere  held,  and 
the  friends  of  the  cause  bestirred  themselves  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other.  The  newspapers  and  periodicals  caught 
the  enthusiasm.  The  cause  of  mercy  seemed  the  cause  of 
religion,  and  many  of  the  clergy  and  dissenting  ministers  did  not 
hesitate  to  urge  upon  their  flocks  the  sinfulness  of  slavery,  and 
the  righteousness  of  joining  heart  and  hand  for  its  overthrow. 
The  flame  soon  spread  far  and  wide  ;  from  every  corner  of  the 
land  petitions  poured  in,  breathing  the  earnest  desires  of  the 
people ;  from  Devonshire  came  five  hundred,  from  West  Essex 
three  hundred  ;  the  number  of  signatures  attached  to  the  petitions 
presented  this  session  were  calculated  to  amount  to  nearly  a 
million  and  a  half;  and  just  at  this  moment,  when  the  ferment 
was  highest,  a  step  was  taken  which  gave  double  effect  to  all  the 
previous  proceedings.  A  circular  was  addressed  by  the  com- 
mittee to  the  friends  of  the  cause  in  every  considerable  town, 
requesting  them  to  appoint  delegates,  who  were  to  meet  in 
London  on  the  18th  of  the  month,  to  represent  in  person  the 
wishes  of  the  nation. 

Mr.  Buxton  had  been,  with  Mr.  James  Stephen,  spending  a 
few  of  these  eventful  days  in  a  delightful,  and,  as  it  proved,  a 


26G  DELEGATES  SUMMONED.  [CHAP.  xix. 

farewell  visit  to  Mr.  "\Yilberforce,  at  liis  son's  house  at  East 
Farleigh ;  but  when  the  day  for  the  assembling  of  the  delegates 
drew  near,  he  returned  to  town,  and  again  plunged  into  the 
whirlpool  of  affairs.  During  the  heat  of  the  conflict,  the  rush 
of  business  at  his  house  can  hardly  be  imagined.  As  he  usually 
returned  late  from  the  House,  and  slept  very  badly,  he  was 
rarely  down  in  the  morning  till  10  or  11  o'clock,  and  long 
before  he  had  finished  dressing,  the  applicants  for  admission 
began  to  pour  in.  To  him,  as  the  Anti-slavery  leader,  every 
one  who  had  any  connection  with  the  utmost  border  of  the 
subject  felt  at  liberty  to  apply.  Besides  his  London  coadjutors 
in  the  cause,  he  was  often  visited  by  those  who  had  been  active 
in  promoting  it  in  the  country,  and  who  wished  for  his  advice  or 
encouragement.  Then  there  were  people  from  the  West  Indies, 
teeming  with  complaints,  arguments,  and  information  —  some 
come  in  the  hope  of  convincing  him  by  their  individual  expe- 
rience that  he  was  all  in  the  wrong  ;  some  to  confirm  his  im- 
pression that  he  was  all  in  the  right ;  angry  planters  come  to 
expostulate ;  missionaries,  teachers,  and  negroes  come  to  lay 
their  cases  before  him,  or  to  supply  him  with  intelligence.  His 
house,  which  had  before  been  a  kind  of  depot  of  Anti-slavery 
petitions,  was  now  half  filled  with  them  ;  in  every  corner  they 
lay  in  heaps,  with  letters  and  papers  from  all  parts  of  England. 
Anxious  consultations  were  going  on  among  the  leaders  of  the 
party  in  London.  The  call  for  delegates  had  been  answered  to 
an  unexpected  extent ;  and  the  question  now  arose  how  most 
prudently  and  effectively  to  wield  the  force  about  to  join  them. 
Nor  was  the  moment  unattended  with  anxiety.  It,  was  very 
doubtful  whether  so  many  earnest  advocates  could  be  brought  to 
act  in  concert;  each  had  his  own  conscientious  scruples,  and 
does  there  exist  anything  more  wayward  and  hard  to  manage 
than  the  conscience  of  a  scrupulous  Englishman  ?  They  were 
not  unlikely  to  mistake  matters  of  expedience  for  matters  of 
principle,  and,  in  particular,  to  think  that  it  would  be  a  crime  to 
give  the  planter  compensation,  however  much  the  interests  <>f 
the  negro  might  require  the  concession.  "  People's  principles 
are  the  greatest  nuisances  in  life,"  playfully  exclaimed  Mr. 
Buxton,  when  he  returned  from  the  first  meeting  of  330  dele- 
gates in  Exeter  Hall.  It  was  an  occasion  which  called  forth  all 


1833.]  MEETING  OF  THE  DELEGATES.  2f,7 

his  tact  and  powers  of  argument ;  but  the  delegates,  strong  and 
independent  as  their  views  were,  placed  a  generous  confidence  in 
their  leaders,  and  a  sufficient  degree  of  unanimity  was  at  length 
obtained. 

It  was  necessary  to  frame  an  address  to  the  Premier  which 
should  embody  their  sentiments.  This  difficult  task  fell  to  the 
lot  of  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney,  and  the  paper  which  he  prepared 
received  a  cordial  assent.  On  the  ensuing  day  they  met  again 
in  Exeter  Hall,  and  proceeded  in  a  body  to  Downing  Street. 
Drawn  as  they  had  been  from  almost  every  place  of  note  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  they  included  in  their  ranks  men  of  every 
calling  and  denomination  ;  among  them  were  to  "be  seen,  we  are 
told,  "  merchants,  squires,  bankers,  magistrates,  clergymen,  and 
dissenting  ministers."  Lord  Althorp  and  Mr.  Stanley  received 
them  ;  and  after  Mr.  Samuel  Gurney  had  read  the  address  and 
commented  on  it,  Mr.  Buxton  stepped  forward  and  pointed  out 
the  extent  of  the  movement  which  had  sent  the  delegates  thither. 
"  This,  my  lord,"  said  he,  "  is  the  deputy  from  Cork — this  is 
the  one  from  Belfast ;  these  are  from  Edinburgh,  those  from 
Dundee  ;  this  gentleman  is  from  Aberdeen,  that  from  Carmar- 
then ;  these  are  the  delegates  from  Bristol,  those  from  Liverpool, 
Birmingham,  Manchester,  Sheffield ;  these  from  York  and 
Leeds,"  &c. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  this  manifestation  had  a  great  effect 
on  the  Government;  it  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  public 
feeling  so  emphatically  expressed  itself,  and  it  was  felt  to  be 
called  forth  by  no  ordinary  earnestness  of  purpose.  Mr.  Stanley 
afterwards  acknowledged  its  importance,  but,  at  the  time,  he  gave 
no  further  pledge  than  that  he  would  not  again  postpone  his 
motion.  With  this  the  applicants  were,  for  the  present,  com- 
pelled to  be  satisfied.  They  retired,  and  on  the  same  day  dined 
together.  When  the  cloth  was  removed,  Mr.  Buxton  spoke 
with  great  feeling,  expatiating  more  than  was  usual  with  him 
on  his  deep  sense  of  the  Providence  that  had  attended  their 
course,  as  well  as  on  the  hopes  for  the  future,  and  the  motives 
and  principles  by  which  they  ought  to  be  governed.  He  ended 
with  "  gladly  seizing  a  long-wished-for  opportunity  of  bearing 
testimony  to  the  merits  of  the  real  leader  of  this  cause — the 
Anti-slavery  tutor  of  us  all — Mr.  Macaulay." 


268  RETIREMENT.  [CHAP.  xx. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
SLAVERY.     1833. 

Debate,  May  14  —  Mr.  Stanley's  Speech  —  Resolutions  passed  —  Blame 
attributed  to  Mr.  Buxton  —  Letters  —  Bill  brought  in  —  Debate  on 
Apprenticeship :  on  Compensation  —  Progress  of  the  Bill  through  the 
House  of  Commons  :  through  the  House  of  Lords  —  Passed  —  Letters. 

THE  Government  plan  was  now  expected  with  the  utmost 
anxiety.  In  the  interval  Mr.  Buxton,  who  stood  much  in  need 
of  rest  and  quiet,  retreated  with  his  daughters  to  a  fishing  cottage 
at  Dagenham  Breach,  near  the  Thames,  belonging  to  Mr.  Fry. 
This  could  be  reached  only  by  water,  and  afforded  the  most  perfect 
seclusion.  "  We  trust/'  writes  one  of  the  party,  "  not  to  see 
the  face  of  a  visitor  nor  the  direction  of  a  letter  till  Monday 
the  13th."  Dr.  Lushington  remained  in  town  to  watch  the 
progress  of  affairs.  Many  contradictory  reports  were  afloat,  and 
Mr.  Buxton's  brief  holiday  was  spent  in  deep  meditation  on  the 
course  he  should  pursue.  His  eldest  daughter  thus  writes  from 
Dagenham : — • 

"  Saturday,  May  11,  1833. 

"  Here  we  are  in  our  singular  retirement,  living  out  of  doors  on  the 
rich  bank,  which  is  overflowing  with  grass  and  flowers,  and  watching 
the  hundreds  of  fine  ships,  which  from  here  seem  to  float  among  the 
fields  ;  but  when  we  climb  the  bank,  there  lies  the  river  stretched  out — 
its  lovely  reaches  glittering  in  the  sun.  We  have  tasted  some  real 
enjoyment  in  the  exuberance  of  spring  in  this  place,  but  far  more  in 
seeing  my  dear  father  wandering  about  without  his  hat  for  hours  to- 
gether. He  has,  I  fear,  been  reflecting  too  deeply  during  those  walks. 
A  set  of  harassing  letter*  came  from  London  yesterday,  which  imme- 
diately gave  him  a  sharp  headache." 

At  last  the  14th  of  May  arrived.  Mr.  Buxton  afterwards 
told  his  daughter,  that  just  as  they  were  going  off  to  the  House 
on  that  memorable  evening — perhaps  the  most  memorable  of  his 


1833.]  WOMEN'S  PETITION.  209 

life — he  had  reached  his  study  door,  when  he  went  back  to  have 
one  look  at  his  Bible.  It  opened  on  the  fifty-eighth  chapter  of 
Isaiah,  and  he  read  those  two  verses,  "  If  thou  draw  out  thy 
soul  to  the  hungry,  and  satisfy  the  afflicted  soul ;  then  shall  thy 
light  rise  in  obscurity,  and  thy  darkness  be  as  the  noon  day  :  and 
the  Lord  shall  guide  tliee  continually,"  &c.  "  The  remembrance 
of  them  preserved  me,"  he  said,  "  from  being  in  the  least  anxious 
the  whole  evening ;  I  felt  so  sure  the  promise  would  be  fulfilled 
to  me,  '  The  Lord  shall  guide  thee  continually.' " 

The  proceedings  of  the  evening  commenced  with  the  pre- 
sentation of  a  huge  petition  from  the  females  of  Great  Britain. 
The  scene  is  thus  described  in  the  Mirror  of  Parliament : — 

"  Mr.  Powell  Buxton,  on  presenting  the  petition  from  the  females 
of  Great  Britain,  said,  'Ten  days  ago  this  petition  was  not  prepared  ; 
it  was  not  even  in  contemplation  ;  but  within  that  short  period,  without 
any  solicitation  whatever,  it  has  received  from  all  parts  of  the  country 
through  which  it  has  been  circulated  no  less  than  187,000  signatures. 
I  wish  to  consult  you,  Sir,  as  to  the  manner  in  which  I  am  to  get  it  to 
the  table,  for  it  is  so  heavy  that  I  really  am  unable  to  carry  it.' 

"  The  Speaker.  '  If  the  hon.  gentleman  cannot  bring  up  the  petition 
himself,  he  must  procure  the  assistance  of  some  other  members  of  the 
House.' 

"  Three  hon.  members  then  went  out  with  Mr.  Buxton,  and  by  the 
united  exertions  of  the  four  the  petition  was  brought  in  and  placed  upon 
the  table,"  (as  we  are  told  elsewhere,)  "amidst  the  laughter  and  cheers 
of  the  House."  * 

Mr.  Stanley  then  opened  the  debate.     He  had  been  Colonial 

*  This  bulky  document  was  the  result  of  a  very  simple  movement.  A 
short  form  of  petition  was  sent  through  the  country  with  the  intimation  that, 
if  sheets  of  signatures  were  sent  iu  by  Monday  the  13th,  they  would  be  ap- 
pended to  the  original  in  London.  The  time  bffing  so  short,  many  answers 
to  this  appeal  were  not  anticipated,  but  by  the  appointed  day  they  poured  in 
from  all  parts  of  the  country  in  numbers  almost  unmanageable. 

The  preparation  of  the  petition  is  thus  described  by  a  member  of  the 
Ladies'  Committee : — "  We  were  hard  at  work  at  it  from  ten  in  the  morning 
till  past  nine  at  night.  The  two  petitions  became  enormous;  much  heavier 
than  we  could  move,  or  even  roll  over ;  so  we  had  two  men  to  each,  tureens 
of  paste,  and  everything  in  proportion.  They  were  like  two  great  feather 
beds.  One  broke  entirely  to  pieces,  and  we  had  to  begin  it  all  again,  so  we 
kept  bracing  them  with  broad  tape,  and  at  last  they  were  sewn  up,  each  in 
a  great  sacking,  and  sent  off,  the  one  to  Lord  Suffield,  the  other  to  Mr.  Buxton, 
for  presentation." 


270  MR.  STANLEY'S  SPEECH.  [CHAP.  xx. 

Secretary  little  more  than  a  month,  yet  he  showed  that,  vast  as 
the  subject  was,  he  had  in  that  short  time  completely  mastered 
its  details,  had  become  conversant  with  all  its  dangers  and  diffi- 
culties, and  was  prepared  to  settle  it  for  ever.  He  began  by 
noticing  the  depth  and  extent  of  public  feeling  upon  the  question 
of  slavery,  and  that  this  feeling  had  its  source  in  religious 
principle. 

"  There  is,"  he  said,  "  throughout  the  country,  from  one  end  of  it  to 
the  other,  a  determination,  a  determination  the  more  absolute  and  irre- 
sistible, because  it  is  founded  in  that  deep  religious  feeling,  on  that 
solemn  conviction  of  principle,  which  admits  of  no  palliative  or  com- 
promise, and  which  has  declared  itself  in  a  voice  to  which  no  minister 
can  be  deaf,  and  which  no  man  who  watches  the  signs  of  the  times  can 
misunderstand." 

He  then  entered  into  the  history  of  the  case,  pointing  out  how 
confidently  Parliament  had  looked  for  the  co-operation  of  the 
colonial  legislatures,  and  that  in  these  expectations  "  the  country 
had  been  grievously  disappointed." 

"  The  voice,"  he  said,  "  of  friendly  warning — the  voice  of 
authority  has  been  found  to  be  in  vain.  Not  a  single  step  has 
been  taken  by  any  one  of  the  colonial  legislatures  with  a  view  to 
the  extinction  of  negro  slavery." 

After  asserting  the  right  of  the  mother  country  to  legislate 
for  the  colonies,  he  proceeded  to  show  that  the  distresses  of  the 
colonists  were  not  owing  "  to  the  unceasing  efforts  of  the  abo- 
litionists," and  the  discussion  of  the  slavery  question  in  Parlia- 
ment ;  and  he  read  documents  to  prove  that  those  distresses 
existed  to  the  same  extent,  not  only  before  slavery  was  dis- 
cussed, but  even  in  the  days  61  the  slave-trade. 

He  then  entered  forcibly  into  the  arguments  founded  on  the 
rapid  decrease  of  population,  and  the  immense  amount  of  punish- 
ments with  the  whip,  proving  the  pregnant  and  dreadful  fact, 
that,  as  the  population  diminished,  the  number  of  stripes  in- 
creased. 

"  We  are  told,"  he  said,  "  that  the  slaves  at  the  present  moment  are 
unfitted  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  of  freedom  ;  that  they  have 
no  domestic  ties,  and  no  habits  of  industry;  that  they  do  not  provide 
for  their  wants,  and  would  not  provide  fur  their  families ;  that  they 


1833.]  PROVISIONS  OF  THE  BILL.  271 

have  no  forethought,  no  discretion;  and  that,  in  short,  they  would  be 
totally  ruined,  were  you  to  throw  them  loose  upon  the  world.  *  *  *  Sir, 
it  is  slavery  which  debars  them  from  acquiring  industrious  habits  ;  it  is 
slavery  which  prevents  them  from  exercising  the  virtues  of  foresight 
and  prudence;  it  is  slavery  which  leaves  them  nothing  to  labour  for; 
it  is  slavery  which  takes  away  from  them  all  the  incentives  to  industrious 
labour,  which  debars  them  from  all  the  ties  of  social  intercourse  :  and 
then  you  declare  them  to  be  ignorant  of  the  duties  of  social  life, — that 
they  have  no  foresight,  no  industry,  no  prudence,  no  discretion,  and 
therefore  they  must  continue  in  a  state  of  slavery  !  " 

Up  to  this  point  Mr.  Buxton  and  Dr.  Lushington  had  been 
listening  to  the  speech  with  satisfaction  and  delight.  The  very 
principles,  the  very  facts,  the  very  arguments  which  they  had 
for  years  been  endeavouring  to  impress  upon  the  House,  they  had 
how  heard  enforced  from  the  Treasury  Bench,  with  the  splendid 
eloquence  of  Mr.  Stanley.* 

But  when  Mr.  Stanley  turned  from  the  general  principles  on 
which  he  proposed  to  act,  to  his  scheme  for  their  application,  the 
feelings  of  the  advocates  of  the  negro  underwent  a  painful 
change.  His  plan  contained  the  following  main  propositions, — 
some  good,  some,  as  they  conceived,  fraught  with  evil. 

That  slavery  be  abolished  throughout  the  British  dominions. 

But  that  the  present  slaves  should  be  apprenticed  for  a  certain 
period  of  time  to  their  former  owners  ;  that  is,  should  be  bound 
to  labour  for  their  former  masters  during  three-fourths  of  the 
day.  the  master  in  return  supplying  them  with  food  and  clothing. 

Part  of  the  slave's  value  would  be  secured  in  this  way  to  his 
former  owner.  The  remainder  was  to  be  paid  by  England  in 
the  shape  of  a  loan  of  15,000,000^.  sterling  (afterwards  changed 
to  a  gift  of  twenty  millions). 

*  In  reference  to  Mr.  Stanley's  adoption  and  illustration  of  their  senti- 
ments, Mr.  Buxton  afterwards  quoted  Cowper's  lines  to  Mrs.  Courtenay  : — 

"  ily  numbers  that  ovening  she  sung, 

And  gave  them  a  grace  so  divine, 
As  only  her  musical  tongue 

Could  infuse  into  numbers  of  mine. 
The  longer  I  heard,  I  esteemed 

The  work  of  my  fancy  the  more, 
And  e'en  to  myself  never  seemed 

So  tuneful  a  poet  before." 


272  RESOLUTIONS  DISCUSSED.  [CHAP.  xx. 

All  children  under  six  years  old  were  to  be  at  once  set  com- 
pletely free.  Stipendiary  magistrates  were  to  be  appointed  to 
carry  out  these  measures,  and  provision  was  to  be  made  for  the 
religious  and  moral  training  of  the  negro  population. 

The  negro  was  to  be  liable  to  corporal  punishment  if  he 
refused  to  give  his  due  portion  of  labour. 

When  Mr.  Stanley  had  announced  the  resolutions  of  which 
these  were  the  leading  features,  their  further  discussion  was 
adjourned  to  the  30th  of  May. 

Upon  the  whole,  Mr.  Buxton  was  satisfied  with  the  result  of 
the  evening,  for  although  some  of  the  proposed  arrangements 
were  utterly  distasteful  to  him,  he  looked  forward  to  great  modi- 
fications of  the  obnoxious  clauses  during  the  progress  of  the 
bill  through  Parliament.  According  to  his  invariable  practice, 
he  laid  the  matter  before  God  in  frequent  and  earnest  prayer. 

The  following  was  the  substance  of  his  supplications  at  family 
prayers,  on  the  second  morning  after  the  announcement  of  the 
Government  measure : — 

"  We  beseech  thee,  O  Lord,  to  be  thyself  the  champion  of  the 
captives ;  their  champion,  yet  not  the  avenger  of  their  sufferings.  We 
pray  thee  so  to  assist  this  great  work,  that  it  may  be  the  means  of 
spreading  temporal  peace,  case,  and  industry  among  the  negroes,  and 
of  leading  them  spiritually  to  the  knowledge  of  God,  that  by  it  millions 
may  be  brought  into  thy  happy  fold.  And  for  those  who  have  laboured 
in  this  good  and  great  work,  may  their  reward  be  in  the  outpouring  of 
thy  Spirit ;  may  they  live  in  thy  light,  and  may  their  darkness  be 
removed  for  ever ;  may  the  Lord  guide  them  continually  ;  may  their 
soul  be  like  a  watered  garden,  and  may  they  be  satisfied  in  drought. 
Bless  the  country  that  shall  make  this  amazing  sacrifice. 

"  And  now  I  desire  to  return  thanks  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  for  the 
great  mercies  thou  hast  shown  us ;  that  thou  hast  turned  the  hearts  of 
those  who  have  influence  and  power,  and  made  them  to  be  labourers 
in  the  cause  of  the  oppressed.  We  thank  thee,  that  thou  at  length  hast 
shown  thine  own  power  and  come  forth." 

The  discussion  of  the  resolutions  occupied  the  House  till  tlio 
12th  of  June.  At  this  point  the  grand  object  of  the  Anti- 
slavery  leaders  was  to  see  the  Government  and  Parliament  fully 
committed  to  the  measure.  "  For,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  ''  were 
an  amendment  on  this  plan  to  be  moved  and  carried,  and  we 


1833.]  APPRENTICESHIP.  273 

were  in  consequence  to  lose  this  measure  altogether,  an  insur- 
rection would  inevitably  take  place,  and  I  confess  I  cannot  with 
firmness  contemplate  so  horrible  a  termination  of  slavery."  * 
Therefore,  while  protesting  against  the  apprenticeship,  they 
abstained  from  dividing  the  House  upon  it  till  the  principle  of 
the  bill  had  been  admitted.  They  also  acquiesced  in  the  grant 
of  compensation  to  the  planters.  On  the  clause  relating  to  the 
moral  and  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes — 

"  I  shall  move,"  said  Mr.  Buxton,  "  as  an  amendment,  the  words 
which  have  been  used  by  the  Right  Hon.  Secretary  in  his  speech, 
namely,  that  the  system  of  instruction  shall  be  conducted,  not  on  ex- 
clusive, not  on  intolerant,  but  on  '  liberal  and  comprehensive  principles. 'f 
I  am  the  more  anxious  on  this  point,  as  I  know,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
extreme  animosity  of  the  colonists  to  all  religious  teachers  of  their 
slaves  except  those  of  the  Church  of  England,  while,  on  the  other,  I 
know  the  vast  benefits  which  the  dissenting  missionaries  have  imparted, 
and  are  likely  to  impart,  to  the  negro  population.  I  think  a  system  of 
perfect  and  unbounded  toleration  ought  to  prevail  in  the  West  Indies  as 
in  England." 

But  the  main  features  of  the  plan  were,  "  apprenticeship  for 
the  negro,"  and  "  compensation  to  the  planters ;"  and  these  were 
so  extremely  obnoxious  to  the  more  vehement  abolitionists,  that 
Mr.  Buxton  was  most  severely  blamed  for  having  acquiesced  in 
the  principle  of  a  measure  of  which  these  formed  an  essential 
part.  He  should,  they  said,  have  at  once  gone  to  war  with  the 
Government.  But  his  own  deliberate  opinion  was,  that  if  this 
measure  were  refused,  no  other  would  be  obtained;  and  therefore 
he  was  most  anxious  to  modify  rather  than  to  reject  it.  Dr. 
Lushington  took  the  same  view,  and  by  degrees  they  had  the 
satisfaction  of  finding  that  all  their  original  coadjutors  acquiesced 
in  its  prudence. 

But  the  Anti-slavery  movement  was  outstripping  its  leaders. 
In  so  large  and  zealous  a  body  as  that  which  now  followed  them, 

*  '  Mirror  of  Parliament,'  June,  1833. 

t  The  words  were  inserted,  but  when  the  bill  came  before  the  Lords  the 
Duke  of  Wellington  moved  their  omission  as  an  amendment:  it  was,  how- 
ever, negatived.  "  Were  you  not  much  amused,"  Mr.  Buxton  wrote  at  the 
time,  "  to  see  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  protest  against  my  words,  '  liberal 
and  comprehensive '?  This  did  us  real  service,  giving  fifty-fold  emphasis  to 
the  terms,  and  preventing  the  possibility  of  their  being  forgotten." 

T 


£74  POLICY  OF  THE  LEADERS.  [CHAP.  xx. 

there  could  not  but  be  many  so  earnestly  bent  on  the  success  of 
their  cause  as  to  be  unable  to  heed  the  obstacles  which  still 
blocked  the  way,  and  who, 

"  Forgetting 

That  policy,  expecting  not  clear  gain, 
Deals  ever  in  alternatives,"  * 

looked  with  extreme  jealousy  on  the  slightest  concessions  made 
by  their  chiefs.  And  thus  the  party  quickly  fell  into  two  sec- 
tions, one  of  which  was  ready  to  make  any  reasonable  sacrifice 
in  order  to  attain  success,  while  the  other  firmly  opposed  all 
compromise,  looking  on  it  as  a  breach  of  principle.  This  latter 
section,  dissatisfied  with  the  moderate  counsels  of  the  original 
committee,  had  already  established  another  of  its  own,  under  the 
name  of  the  "  Agency  Committee." 

There  soon  appeared  in  the  newspapers  a  resolution  purport- 
ing to  come  from  this  committee,  in  which  Mr.  Buxton  was 
severely  condemned  ;  and  indeed  his  fidelity  to  the  cause  more 
than  questioned. 

This  proceeding,  authoritative  as  it  professed  to  be,  proved 
afterwards  to  have  been  the  production  of  only  two  individuals. 
On  first  hearing  of  it  he  was  naturally  hurt  and  indignant;  but 
with  him  it  was  easy  to  forgive  a  personal  slight,  when  it  sprang 
from  zeal  for  the  slave.  Instead  of  expressing  any  resentment, 
lie  wrote  those  two  individuals  a  letter,  in  which  he  calmly 
pointed  out  how  entirely  they  had  mistaken  his  views,  and  ex- 
postulated in  mild  terms  against  the  severity  of  their  censure. 

But  when  a  certain  member  of  Parliament  thought  to  ingra- 
tiate himself  witli  his  constituency  by  calling  Mr.  Buxton  to 
account,  through  the  medium  of  the  public  press,  for  his  anxiety 
to  keep  terms  with  the  Government,  he  addressed  him  as 

follows : — 

"Dagenham,  June  17,  1833. 

"  Sir, — The  undoubted  zeal  and  honesty  in  the  cause  of  the  abolition 
of  slavery,  of  the  two  gentlemen  who,  in  the  name  of  the  Agency  Com- 
mittee, passed  and  published  the 'resolution  of  the  13th  of  June,  called 
for  an  explanation  from  me,  and  I  have  given  it,  by  showing  that  they 
had  misconceived  the  facts,  and  had  ascribed  language  to  me  which  I 
never  used. 

*  '  Philip  Van  Artevelde.' 


1833.]  SEVERE  CENSURES.  275 

"  But  what  title  you  may  have  to  demand  an  explanation  of  my  con- 
duct, through  the  medium  of  the  newspapers,  still  remains  a  mystery 
to  inc. 

"  For  ten  long  years  we  have  been  fighting  the  arduous  battle  of  the 
Anti-slavery  cause.  You  never  offered  us  that  assistance  which  we 
should  have  so  thankfully  received — you  never  touched  that  heavy  bur- 
den with  one  of  your  fingers;  the  first  and  the  last  manifestation  of 
your  zeal  occurred  on  the  eve  of  the  election  of  1832,  and  even  that 
was  not  of  the  most  unequivocal  description — it  was  not  an  offer  on 
your  part  to  serve  the  cause,  but  an  entreaty  that  the  cause  might  serve 
you. 

"  You  have  a  right  in  the  House  of  Commons  to  question  my  Par- 
liamentary conduct.  I  shall  be  in  my  place  to-morrow  at  twelve 
o'clock,  and  shall  be  happy  to  hear,  and  anxious  to  reply  to,  your  accu- 
sation. "  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  T.  FOWKLL  BUXTON." 

To  a  vote  of  censure  passed  on  him  by  a  committee  in  the 
country,  he  thus  replied  : — 

"London,  June,  1833. 

"  Our  cause,  I  trust  and  believe,  is  essentially  prospering.  Patience 
and  confidence  we  cannot  perhaps  expect  from  lookers-on  ;  but  we  are 
not  therefore  absolved  from  our  duty  to  God  and  the  negro  race  to  act 
according  to  the  best  of  our  judgments  and  consciences,  and  this  I  can 
safely  affirm  I,  at  least,  have  done.  My  character  is  of  very  little  con- 
sequence. Indeed,  had  I  not  long  ago  learnt  that  I  must  sacrifice  that, 
as  well  as  almost  all  else,  to  this  cause,  I  should,  between  my  foes  and 
my  friends,  have  led  a  very  unhappy  life.  But  I  have  learnt  that,  severe 
as  is  the  task  of  incurring  the  displeasure  of  those  I  esteem,  my  duty 
frequently  calls  for  it,  and  I  acknowledge  myself  amenable  to  no  human 
tribunal  in  this  cause.  *  *  *  Pray  believe  that  I  write  in  perfect  good 
humour  ;  but  it  is  necessary  I  should  be  independent,  and  independent  I 
will  be,  or  how  can  I  give  an  account  of  my  stewardship  ?" 

He  details  some  time  afterwards  his  own  justification  of  his 
conduct  to  Mr.  Joseph  Sturge : — 

"  After  Sturge  had  acknowledged  the  purity  of  my  motives,  he  added, 
'  But  it  cannot  be  denied  that  you  acted  against  the  wish  of  many  of  the 
delegates ;  and  if  you  had  stood  firm  the  planters  would  have  got  no 
compensation,'  '  Perhaps  so,'  said  I ;  '  they  no  compensation,  and  we 
no  extinction  of  slavery :  or  rather  it  would  have  been  extinguished  by  a 
rebellion.  Besides,  what  right  had  they  to  expect  that  I  would  follow 
their  opinion  when  I  thought  it  wrong  ?  I  protest  I  would  rather  sweep 

T  2 


276  MR.  STURGE— MR.  WILBERFORCE.          [CHAP.  xx. 

the  streets  than  enter  Parliament  pledged  to  do  just  as  they  bid  me. 
Happy  am  I  that  I  never  was  servant  to  those  who  admit  my  motives, 
and  yet  almost  denounce  me  for  my  conduct.  I  serve  a  Master  in  this 
matter  who  will  receive  my  intentions  in  lieu  of  my  acts,  and  pardon  the 
errors  of  my  judgment  in  consideration  of  the  purity  of  my  motives.'  I 
added,  '  You  and  I  differ  in  our  principle  ;  you  hold  by  abstract  justice, 
I  consider  myself  the  counsel  of  the  negro.  I  will  either  speak  or  hold 
my  tongue,  agitate  or  not  stir  a  finger,  as  the  interests  of  the  negro  may 
require.' " 

In  the  midst  of  these  attacks,  it  was  most  cheering  to  Mr.  Bux- 
ton  to  receive  assurances  of  sympathy  and  approbation  from  those 
veterans  of  the  cause  whose  opinions  he  most  highly  valued. 

Mr.  Wilberforce  thus  expresses  himself  to  Mr.  W.  Smith  : — 

"Bath,  June  25,  1833. 

"  I  have  but  one  moment  to-day  at  my  command,  but  I  cannot  bear 
to  remain  silent,  when  your  letter  touches  a  string  which  vibrates  in  my 
inmost  soul.  I  feel  more  indignant  than  I  can  well  express  at  the  un- 
worthy treatment  dear  honest  Buxton  has  experienced.  Even  had  he 
been  mistaken  in  his  judgment,  yet,  knowing  the  purity  of  his  motives, 
and  the  zeal,  and  the  anxiety,  and  the  labour  which  he  has  been  expe- 
riencing, any  liberal  man  would  have  taken  him  to  his  bosom,  and  en- 
deavoured to  cheer  and  to  comfort  him.  I  entirely  concur  with  you  as 
to  our  true  policy." 

One  of  the  letters  to  Northrepps  Cottage  says — 

"  The  career  of  victory  has  been  mixed  with  many  personal  humilia- 
tions and  mortifications  ;  and  now  the  Anti-slavery  people  are  so  violently 
turned  against  my  father  for  not  voting  against  the  twenty  millions,  that 
they  can  hardly  find  words  to  express  their  displeasure.  I  must  say  that 
his  spirit  through  all  is  wonderful.  He  is  as  uninfluenced  by  the  attacks 
of  friends  as  of  foes,  and  goes  straight  on  to  his  mark  with  a  degree  of 
firmness  which,  considering  it  is  unaided  by  that  very  supporting  qua- 
lity, natural  obstinacy,  seems  almost  incomprehensible. 

"  Every  day  he  receives  violent  letters  of  censure,  from  one  party  for 
voting  for  the  money,  from  another  for  saying  the  planters  have  no 
right  to  it ;  but  he  is  under  such  a  deep  and  powerful  impulse  for  the 
good  of  his  cause,  that  nothing  else  touches  him.  He  seems  to  be 
devoted  to  it  in  a  way  that  renders  him  insensible  to  minor  influences, 
and  reminds  one  of  the  description  of  Howard,  in  FosterV  K 
Decision  of  Character.  Self  is  strangely  forgotten  by  him  ;  not  subdued 
or  resisted,  but  genuinely  forgotten." 


J833.]  MR.  STANLEY'S  BILL.  277 

When  Mr.  Stanley's  bill  was  brought  in  Mr.  Buxton  was 
disappointed  to  find  that  it  retained  the  obnoxious  points  in  full 
force.  He  writes  : — 

"London,  July  6,  1833. 

"  I  do  not  think  our  slavery  matters  are  going  on  very  well.  The 
Government  are  going  to  bring  in  their  bill  to-night.  It  retains  the 
apprenticeship  for  twelve  years,  which  makes  me  very  indignant,  and 
would  make  me  very  unhappy,  if  I  did  not  indulge  the  hope  that  we 
shall  be  able  to  beat  them  out  of  it  in  committee." 

TO  THOMAS  PRINGLE,  ESQ. 

"  July  16. 

"  In  all  our  deliberations  at  this  moment,  the  first  question  which 
arises  is,  at  what  stage  of  the  bill  we  ought  to  make  our  opposition  to  it. 

"  I  am  decidedly  of  opinion  that  it  ought  not  to  be  on  the  second 
reading.  It  seems  to  me  that,  in  the  first  place,  we  ought  to  muster  all 
our  strength  for  an  occasion  on  which  we  could  hope  to  be  victorious, 
and  this  we  certainly  could  not  on  the  second  reading.  Moderate  men 
of  all  parties  would  tremble  at  the  idea  of  throwing  the  bill  out. 

"  Secondly,  because  I  think,  if  even  we  could,  we  ought  not  to  throw 
out  a  bill  of  this  kind,  and  at  this  period  of  the  session,  till  we  see  what 
is  done  to  it  in  committee ;  for  though  we  know  the  sentiments  of 
ministers,  we  do  not  know  those  of  Parliament.  I  should  be  exceed- 
ingly terrified  at  the  idea  of  throwing  out  the  bill  without  giving  it  this 
chance ;  an  awful  conclusion  might  ensue,  and  it  behoves  us  to  give  no 
vote  which,  in  that  event,  we  could  not  review  with  satisfaction.  The 
good  of  the  negroes  ought  to  be  our  sole  guide,  and  I  cannot  believe,  if 
they  could  judge,  they  would  wish  us  to  throw  out  this  bill  on  the 
second  reading. 

"  We  must  allow  no  feelings  to  interfere  with  this  great  principle, — 
no  subordinate  motives,  no  want  of  lavish  liberality, — supposing  our 
object  really  gained.  Then,  in  committee,  we  must  muster  all  our 
strength  for  the  most  vigorous  opposition  to  the  objectionable  clauses, 
and  if  we  direct  it  judiciously  and  exert  it  fully,  I  feel  a  great  hope  of 
gaining  our  point. 

"  I  hope  my  friends  distinctly  understand  that  my  point  is  to  over- 
throw the  apprenticeship  at  the  price  of  the  twenty  millions. 

"  To  this  end,  I  think,  all  our  efforts  should  be  directed,  and  the 
committee  seems  to  me  the  right  time  for  making  our  attack." 

According  to  that  plan  of  operations  which  had  excited  so 
much  angry  feeling,  Mr.  Stanley's  bill  was  allowed  to  pass 


278  MR.  STANLEY'S  BILL  IN  COMMITTEE.      [CHAP.  xx. 

through  the  second  reading  undisputed,  but  no  sooner  had  it 
come  under  committee  than  the  battle  began. 

The  first  and  most  important  struggle  was  on  the  duration  of 
the  apprenticeship.*  Mr.  Buxton  moved  an  amendment  for 
limiting  it  to  the  shortest  period  necessary  for  establishing  the 
system  of  free  labour,  and  suggested  the  term  of  one  year  ; 
"  for,"  he  said,  "  if  we  are  to  have  neither  wages  nor  the  whip, 
neither  hope  nor  fear,  neither  inducement  nor  compulsion,  how 
any  one  can  suppose  that  we  shall  be  able  to  obtain  the  labour 
of  the  negroes,  is  to  me  unintelligible."' 

After  a  spirited  debate  the  amendment  was  lost,  though  only 
by  a  minority  of  seven ;  but,  as  Lord  Howick  observed,  the  first 
fruits  of  the  discussion  were  gathered  the  next  day,  when  Mr. 
Stanley  consented,  in  deference  to  the  wishes  of  the  House,  to 
reduce  the  period  of  apprenticeship  from  twelve  to  seven  years. 

In  the  course  of  the  debate  on  the  24th  inst.,  Mr.  Stanley 
"  warned  his  honourable  friend  (the  member  for  Weymouth), 
that  any  expression  falling  from  him  would  come  upon  the  minds 
of  the  negroes  Avith  much  greater  weight  than  any  similar  ex- 
pression coming  from  any  other  person." 

In  his  reply,  Mr.  Buxton  said : — 

"  The  right  honourable  gentleman  has  done  me  the  honour  to  say,  that 
the  language  which  I  hold  towards  the  negroes  may  have  some  influence 
upon  them.  If  I  thought  that  were  the  case — if  indeed  the  faintest 
echo  of  my  voice  could  ever  reach  them — most  earnestly,  most  emphatic- 
ally, would  I  implore  them,  by  every  motive  of  duty,  gratitude,  and 
self-interest,  to  do  their  part  towards  the  peaceful  termination  of  their 
bondage.  I  would  say  to  them,  '  The  time  of  your  deliverance  is  at  hand  ; 
let  that  period  be  sacred,  let  it  he  defiled  by  no  outrage,  lot  it  be  stained 
by  no  blood,  let  not  the  hair  of  the  head  of  a  single  planter  be  touched. 
Make  any  sacrifice,  bear  any  indignity,  submit  to  any  privation,  rather 
than  raise  your  hand  against  any  white  man.  Continue  to  wait  and  to 
work  patiently  ;  trust  implicitly  to  that  great  nation  and  paternal  go- 
vernment who  are  labouring  for  your  release.  Preserve  peace  and 
order  to  the  utmost  of  your  power, — obey  the  laws,  both  before  and  at 
the  time  of  your  liberation, — and  when  that  period  shall  arrive,  fulfil 
the  expectations  of  your  friends  in  England,  and  the  promises  they 


*  July  24.     See  'Mirror  of  Parliament'  for  the  course  of  the  Slavery 
Bill. 


1833.]  DEBATE  ON  COMPENSATION.  279 

have  made  in  your  name,  by  the  most  orderly,  diligent,  and  dutiful 
conduct!'  " 

When  the  question  of  compensation  came  under  discussion, 
Mr.  Buxton  was  strongly  urged  to  oppose  it,  as  the  apprentice- 
ship clauses  had  not  been  given  up.  The  difficulties  that  beset 
him  are  thus  described:* — 

"  Mr.  Stanley  declares  that  if  any  point  is  carried  against  him  re- 
garding the  grant  he  will  throw  up  the  bill ;  whether  or  not  to  run  this 
risk  is  now  the  very  point  of  the  matter,  and  numerous  are  the  dilemmas 
the  questioi.  involves.  We  had  quite  a  levee  this  morning;  Messrs. 
Pringle,  Cropper,  Sturge,  Moorsom,  and  George  Stephen,  all  came  in 
at  breakfast-time,  and  my  father  made  them  a  speech,  telling  them  that 
on  such  a  difficult  and  critical  point  he  would  never  enter  the  House 
with  his  hands  tied.  They  wanted  him  to  promise  to  fight  the  money 
battle,  and  to  defeat  Mr.  Stanley,  if  possible.  He  will  not  promise  to 
do  any  such  thing,  and  says  he  must  be  at  full  liberty  to  act  according  to 
the  discretion  of  the  moment.  They  went  away  to  deliberate  upon  it, 
and  it  is  now  time  to  go  down  to  the  House  again.  He  told  me  he 
trusted  but  n  one  thing — '  The  Lord  shall  guide  thy  steps.'  " 

In  the  civision  which  followed,  Mr.  Buxton  voted  for  the  grant 
of  20,000 ,000/.  to  the  planters, f  "  as  giving  the  best  chance  and 
the  fairest  prospect  of  a  peaceful  termination  of  slavery,"  but 
he  moved  as  an  amendment  that  one-half  of  that  sum  should  not 
be  paid  till  the  apprenticeship  should  have  terminated.  He 
thought  this  would  act  as  a  check  upon  the  planters  in  their 
treatment  of  the  apprentices.  This  amendment  was  thrown  out. 

Mr.  Buxton  thus  writes  to  a  friend  on  the  1st  of  August : — 

"  I  must  tell  you  how  comfortable  and  happy  I  feel  to-day.  Last 
night  at  twelve  o'clock  we  got  through  the  committee  ;  the  bill,  there- 
fore, for  the  abolition  of  slavery  must  pass  this  session,  and  may  Provi- 
dence make  it  a  blessing  to  millions.  We  were  defeated  upon  my 
proposal  to  hold  back  half  the  money  till  the  apprenticeship  was  over. 
Stanley  declared  that  if  we  carried  that  proposal  he  would  throw  up  the 


*  Letters  to  Northrepps  Cottage. 

t  The  following  afternoon  his  sister,  Mrs.  Forster,  asked  him  "  if  he  had 
not  acted  hastily  in  giving  his  vote  for  compensation  ?"  "  No,"  replied  he, 
slowly  rising  off  the  sofa,  and  speaking  with  great  deliberation,  "  No :  I 
would  do  the  same  again.  I  did  it  to  save  bloodshed ;  that  was  my  motive, 
and  I  am  glad  I  did  it." 


280  DEATH  OF  MR.  WILBERFORCE.  [CHAP.  xx. 

bill.  I  thought  it  right,  however,  to  persevere,  but  I  must  confess  that 
I  should  have  felt  anxious  if  we  had  obtained  a  victory.  The  newspa- 
pers give  but  a  wretched  report  of  the  debate,  which  was  one  of  the 
best  we  ever  had. 

"  Upon  the  whole  I  went  to  bed  well  pleased.  To-morrow  night 
we  have  the  report,  and  on  Monday  the  third  reading.  How  grand  it 
is  to  be  so  near  the  top  of  the  mountain,  which  it  has  taken  ten  years 
to  climb !" 

The  joy  with  which  the  abolitionists  looked  forward  to  the 
speedy  termination  of  their  labours  in  behalf  of  the  slaves  was 
tempered  by  an  event  of  deep  interest  to  them, — the  death  of 
Mr.  Wilberforce.  The  great  leader  expired  on  Monday  the  29th 
of  July,  having,  shortly  before  his  death,  exclaimed  with  fer- 
vour, "  Thank  God  that  I  should  have  lived  to  witness  a  day  in 
which  England  is  willing  to  give  twenty  millions  sterling  for  the 
abolition  of  slavery." 

The  announcement  of  his  death  was  received  by  tie  House  of 
Commons,  then  in  the  midst  of  the  discussion  on  compensation, 
with  peculiar  feeling.  Mr.  Buxton  referred  to  the  event,  and,  in 
expressing  his  love  and  admiration  for  the  character  cf  Mr.  Wil- 
berforce, applied  to  him  the  beautiful  lines  of  Cowper : — 

"  A  veteran  warrior  in  the  Christian  field, 
Who  never  saw  the  sword  he  could  not  wield  ; 
Who,  when  occasion  justified  its  use, 
Had  wit,  as  bright,  as  ready,  to  produce ; 
Could  draw  from  records  of  an  earlier  age, 
Or  from  Philosophy's  enlighten'd  page, 
His  rich  material — and  regale  the  ear 
With  strains  it  was  a  luxury  to  hear." 

The  following  verses,  descriptive  of  Mr.  Wilberforce,  were 
written  by  Mr.  Buxton  many  years  before,  on  occasion  of  the 
visit  to  Cromer  Hall  of  a  conjurer  named  Lee  Sugg: — 

"  Farewell,  meagre  Sugg,  we  are  bound  to  attend 
On  a  guest  who  's  at  once  our  instructor  and  friend  : 
A  conjurer  too  ! — even  there  he  will  meet  you, 
And  at  your  own  weapons  undoubtedly  beat  you. 
A  wizard  is  he — to  allure  away  grief, 
To  give  hope  to  the  sad,  to  the  wretched  relief. 
And  what  are  the  strange  incantations  he  uses, 
When  sorrow  he  scatters,  and  joy  he  diffuses? 


1833.]  ABOLITION  BILL  PASSED.  281 

Himself  is  the  charm,  his  maiuifrs  are  spells, 

A  conjuring  art  in  his  converse  there  dwells  : 

There  's  magic,  we  know — and  poor  Africa  knows  I — 

In  the  voice  that  was  raised  to  extinguish  her  woes. 

We  ken  not  the  potions  and  drugs  which  he  blends, 

But  we  're  sure  he  "s  the  power  of  enchanting  his  friends !" 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1833,  the  Bill  for  the  Total  Abolition 
of  Colonial  Slavery  passed  the  Lower  House. 

"  The  bill  has  already  passed  the  House  of  Commons  two  or  three 
hours,"  writes  Miss  Buxton  to  Mr.  Macaulay  ;  "  would  that  Mr.  Wil- 
berforce  had  lived  one  fortnight  longer,  that  my  father  might  have  taken 
back  to  him  fulfilled,  the  task  he  gave  him  ten  years  ago !" 

Mr.  Buxton  writes  on  the  following  day  : — 

"  London,  Aug.  8. 

"  I  have  been  intensely  engaged  in  winding  up,  or  watching  the 
winding  up,  of  this  the  main  object  of  my  life.  The  bill  passed  its 
third  reading  last  night,  and  I  cannot  but  feel  deeply  relieved  and 
thankful,  great  as  are  its  faults.  May  a  blessing  be  with  it!  The 
fullest  toleration  we  have,  I  trust,  obtained.  And  now  the  thing  is 
done ;  and  all  the  duty  respecting  it  which  remains  for  us  is  to  do  our 
utmost  to  render  both  the  people  of  England  and  the  negroes  satisfied 
with  it,  and  to  labour  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  latter." 

The  bill  now  went  with  little  delay  through  the  House  of 
Lords.  Mr.  Buxton  thus  alludes  to  Lord  Suffield's  exertions  on 
that  occasion  : — 

"  When  the  bill  reached  the  Upper  House,  Lord  Suffield's  task  was 
of  the  most  difficult  and  laborious  kind.  Dr.  Lushington,  and  I,  and 
some  others  used  to  go  and  spend  hour  after  hour  at  the  bar  of  the 
House  of  Lords,  watching  our  friend  in  his  arduous  conflict ;  and  I  find 
that  scarcely  any  one  of  the  many  memorable  scenes  and  incidents  of  that 
session  has  left  so  strong  an  impression  upon  my  memory,  as  witnessing 
his  unsupported  but  determined  struggle  over  each  clause  of  the  bill,  as 
it  passed  through  the  Committee  of  the  whole  House." 

"  On  Tuesday,  the  20th,"  writes  Miss  Buxton,  "  was  the  third  read- 
ing in  the  Lords.  Dr.  Lushington  came  in  afterwards,  unexpectedly, 
to  dinner;  he  was  just  setting  off  for  his  holidays,  and  seemed  very 
much  pleased  with  the  events  of  the  session,  which  he  discussed  in  the 
most  lively  manner.  Lord  Althorp  said  to  him  in  the  House,  a  few 
days  ago,  '  Well !  you  and  Buxton  have  wielded  a  power  too  great  for 
any  individuals  in  this  House.  I  hope  we  shall  never  see  such  another 


282  END  OF  THE  STRUGGLE.  [CHAP.  xx. 

instance.'  Among  other  incidents,  it  was  mentioned  that  one  day,  in 
the  House  of  Lords,  Lord  Grey  went  up  to  my  father  to  speak  to  him 
about  yielding'  the  '  removal '  question.  The  Duke  of  Wellington  said, 
'  I  see  what  the  influence  is  under  which  you  are  ;  and  if  that  individual 
is  to  have  more  power  than  Lords  and  Commons  both,  we  may  as  well 
give  up  the  bill.'  All  the  Commons'  ministers  who  were  standing  there 
were  highly  entertained." 

T.  F.  BtJXTON,  ESQ.,  TO  ZACHAKY  MACAULAY,  ESQ. 

"August  20,  1833. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — Priscilla  will  tell  you  what  was  done  last  night 
in  the  Lords'  Committee.  The  result  was,  that  after  two  or  three  rather 
mischievous  alterations  the  report  passed.  The  Government  told  me 
that  the  Tories  had  collected  their  strength,  and  were  determined  to 
throw  out  the  bill.  No  symptoms,  however,  of  such  infatuation 
appeared.  So  now  we  are  nearly  at  the  end  of  our  labours.  I  must 
confess  I  am,  if  not  quite  satisfied,  exceedingly  well  pleased.  I  look 
back  to  the  letter  which  you  and  I  wrote  to  Lord  Bathurst  in  1823, 
containing  our  demands,  twelve  in  number.  Bad  as  the  bill  is,  it 
accomplishes  every  one  of  these,  and  a  great  deal  more.  Among  the 
rest,  the  day  is  fixed  after  which  slavery  shall  not  be ! 

***•*« 

"  Surely  you  have  reason  to  rejoice.  My  sober  and  deliberate  opinion 
is,  that  you  have  done  more  towards  this  consummation  than  any  other 
man.  For  myself,  I  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  that  you  have  been 
my  tutor  all  the  way  through,  and  that  I  could  have  done  nothing  with- 
out you.  *  *  *  This  should  and  must  cheer  you.  It  has  pleased 
Providence  to  send  you  sore  afflictions,  but  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
human  beings  will  have  reason  here  and  hereafter  to  thank  God  that  your 
zeal  never  slackened,  and  that  you  were  enabled  to  labour  on  against 
difficulties  and  obstacles,  of  which  no  one  perhaps,  except  myself,  knew 
the  extent ;  dragging  to  light  one  abomination  after  another,  till  the 
moral  and  religious  feeling  of  the  country  would  endure  such  crimes  no 
longer.  So  cheer  up. 

"  I  continue  very  well.  This  session  has  done  me  less  mischief  than 
any  former  one.  We  have  had  something  to  console  us,  and  we  knew 
but  very  little  of  that  kind  of  fare  in  former  times. 

"  Ever  yours  very  truly, 

"  T.  FOWELL  BUXTO>T." 

On  the  28th  of  August  the  bill  for  the  abolition  of  British 
slavery  received  the  royal  assent.  Mr.  Buxton  sent  a  copy  of  it 
to  Mr.  Clarkson,  with  the  following  letter  : — 


1833.]  CONGRATULATIONS.  233 

"  Xorthrepps  Hall,  Sept.  22,  1833. 

"  My  dear  Sir, — I  cannot  forward  to  you  the  enclosed  Act  without  a 
line  to  inquire  how  you  are,  and  to  say  how  sincerely  I  trust  you  are 
really  cheered  and  happy  in  the  contemplation  of  the  Abolition  of 
Slavery!  I  am  sure  you  ought  to  be,  for  you  have  greatly  contributed 
towards  it.  I  always  think  your  pamphlet,  which  first  gave  us  the  true 
tone,  was  of  most  essential  importance  to  our  cause.  Such  as  it  is,  it  is 
done ;  and  I  do  more  and  more  think  we  ought  to  be  very  grateful  and 
satisfied.  It  is  a  mighty  experiment  at  best;  but  we  must  trust  that  it 
will  answer  to  the  full,  and  be  as  it  were  the  pulling  away  of  the  corner- 
stone of  slavery  throughout  the  world. 

"  I  should  be  delighted  to  hear  your  opinion  of  the  .measures. 

"  Yours  very  faithfully, 

"  T.  F.  BUXTON." 

"  Playford  Hall,  Sept.  25,  1833. 

"  Dear  Mr.  Buxton, — I  received  your  letter  the  day  before  yesterday, 
and  I  can  truly  say  in  answer  to  it,  that  I  am  immeasurably,  more  than 
I  can  express,  thankful  to  God  for  that  rich  display  of  his  mercy  which 
at  length,  in  his  own  good  time,  he  has  vouchsafed  to  manifest  to  the 
long-lost  children  of  the  African  race.  That  the  bill  is  not  entirely 
what  I  wished,  I  have  no  objection  to  confess ;  but  yet  I  am  thankful, 
inexpressibly  thankful  for  it. 

"  I  tremble  to  think  what  might  have  been  the  consequences,  if  you 
had  refused  the  proposals  of  Government.  What  would  another  ad- 
ministration have  done,  had  it  been  left  to  them  ?  We  may  judge  of 
this  by  the  speeches  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  last  session.  *  *  * 

"  Yours  most  truly, 

"  T.  CJLARKSON." 


284  LETTERS.  [CHAP.  xxi. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

1833,  1834. 

Letters  —  Good  Accounts  from  the  West  Indies  —  Baron  Rothschild  — 
Occupations  of  the  Spring  and  Summer  —  Endeavours  for  the  Benefit  of 
the  Negroes  —  Rev.  J.  M.  Trew  —  The  Day  of  Freedom,  August  1, 1834 
—  Conduct  of  the  Negroes  —  Letters. 

Now  that  slavery  had  fallen,  Mr.  Buxton  looked  forward  with 
delight  to  the  leisure  which  lay  before  him.  The  autumn  proved, 
however,  to  be  one  of  much  sorrow.  Early  in  September,  the 
eldest  son  of  Mr.  Hoare,  a  young  man  of  the  highest  promise,* 
began  to  sink  under  consumption  ;  and  closely  as  the  two  families 
were  linked  together,  the  blow  which  fell  upon  the  one  was  felt 
almost  as  keenly  by  the  other.  It  is  to  this  event  that  the  fol- 
lowing letters  refer: — 

TO  SAMUEL  HOARE,  ESQ. 

«  Northrepps  Hall,  Sept.  1,  1833. 

*'  Your  letter  was  very  painful,  and  made  us  very  truly  and  very  bit- 
terly sympathise  with  you.  I  know  by  sorrowful  experience  how  much 
is  to  be  endured,  and  how  many  tormenting  changes  there  are  in  the 
disease.  There  is,  however,  one  part  of  his  case  which  is  liable  neither 
to  anxiety  nor  change.  He  has  built  upon  a  rock.  A  century  hence  it 
will  signify  nothing  whether  at  this  time  he  was  stronger  or  weaker  in 
body ;  hut  it  will  then  and  for  ever  after  be  a  matter  of  the  greatest 
moment  that  he  held  a  certain  and  just  hope  of  eternal  life  through 
Christ. 

"  I  had  intended  to  have  divided  a  great  part  of  this  day  between 
you  and  myself — that  is,  between  a  review  of  your  circumstances  and  of 
my  own  mind,  which  particularly  wants  setting  to  rights.  It  is  difficult 
to  say  what  I  mean,  so  as  to  be  understood,  but  I  find  there  is  such  a 
ihinir  as  bringing  the  mind  actually  to  partake  of  the  cares  and  sorrows 
of  those  we  love,  and  eating  the  same  bread  which  is  before  them. 


*  See  Mr.  Buxton's  letter  to  him  in  1827. 


1833.]  TO  MRS.  HOARE.  285 

However,  my  intentions  were  frustrated.  We  have  had  a  terrible 
storm :  three  at  least,  I  fear  five  or  six  vessels  have  foundered  at  sea, 
and  all  hands  lost.  I  started  after  church,  and  rode  to  Sheringham  by 
the  sands,  and  then  to  Weybournc,  where  I  found  a  Weymouth  vessel 
on  shore.  I  saw  in  this  excursion  eleven  vessels  on  shore,  but  all  lives 
were  saved.  I  did  not  get  home  till  half-past  eight  o'clock.  The 
storm  is  much  abated  now,  but  it  has  had  a  strange  effect  among  the 
trees.  It  is  impossible  to  walk  about  the  wood  at  the  back  of  the  house, 
or  down  to  the  cottage,  except  in  the  broad  daylight,  so  many  trees  are 
overturned.  So  ends  this  1st  of  September.  I  have,  I  hope,  arranged 
that  some  birds  shall  be  slain  for  you  to-morrow  ;  but  I  must  be  excused 
at  present,  I  am  in  no  great  mind  for  shooting." 

TO  MRS.  SAMUEL  HOARE. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  Sept.  8,  1833.    ' 

"  This  has  been  but  a  low  and  gloomy  day  here,  as  well  as  at  Hamp- 
stead.  I  think  that  we  have  felt  as  sorely,  and  as  much  shared  your 
sorrows,  as  if  we  had  been  on  the  spot.  We  have  been  in  a  state  of 
much  dejection  since  our  return  home,  and  very  remarkable  it  has  been. 
I  had  made  up  my  mind  for  months  that  this  was  to  be  a  first-rate  holi- 
day. I  was  to  throw  off  my  arms  and  my  armour,  and  forget  slavery, 
except  now  and  then  as  a  relish.  In  short,  it  was  to  be  my  business  to 
be  merry  and  happy  at  a  great  rate.  The  event  has  not  been  such.  I 
have  tried  to  shoot,  but  made  only  a  poor  hand  of  that.  However,  to- 
day I  got  rather  near  true  comfort,  and  was  able  to  ask,  '  Why  art  thou 
cast  down,  O  my  soul,  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me  ?  Hope 
thou  in  God ! '  And  I  do  see  in  the  event  before  us  great  stores  of 
comfort.  Nothing  less  than  the  greatest  comfort  would  avail ;  for  I  do 
not  disguise  from  myself,  that,  all  things  considered  (wife,  father, 
mother,  station,  prospects  of  usefulness),  it  is  an  affliction  of  no  common 
kind.  Yet  dark  as  it  is,  and  strongly  as  it  proclaims  that  all  the  glory 
of  man  is  as  the  flower  of  the  grass,  still  there  is  that  in  it  which  tells 
us  to  gird  up  the  loins  of  our  mind,  and  rejoice  and  be  glad.  After  all, 
in  reason  as  well  as  in  faith,  it  is  no  such  miserable  thing  to  be  some- 
what nearer  than  we  supposed  we  were  to  that  inheritance,  incorruptible, 
and  undefiled,  and  glorious,  which  Christ  has  provided  for  His  own. 
But,  my  dearest  sister,  I  shall  consume  my  paper  and  my  time  before  I 
come  to  the  point  about  which  I  wish  to  write.  I  hope  you  do  not  allow 
yourself  to  give  way  to  that  self-tormenting  delusion  of  unavailing  re- 
grets and  repentances,  as  if  you  had  not  done  all  that  you  might.  I 
think  it  is  a  narrow  view  to  suppose  that  minor  matters  have  had  any 
weighty  influence.  I  believe  the  sickness  came  from  the  hand  of  God, 


286  TO  MRS.  HOARE.  [CHAP.  xxr. 

and  that  he  also  ordained  the  treatment  you  should  resort  to.  I  believe 
from  first  to  last  it  was  His  doing,  and  this  consideration  is  sufficient  to 
stifle  all  complaint  as  to  the  event,  and  all  remorse  as  to  the  means. 
Pray  do  not  give  way  to  any  regrets,  but  accept  the  event  as  wholly 
coming  from  God,  and  as  wholly  merciful,  and  fraught  with  blessings. 
I  cannot  say  how  deeply  and  tenderly  I  feel  for  each  of  you." 

TO  THE  SAME. 

"Oct.  6,  1833.    ' 

«  *  *  *  In  my  own  afflictions  I  have  never  known  how  to  get  any 
peace,  except  by  taking  hold  implicitly  of  the  great  (ruths  of  Scripture. 
Is  God  a  God  of  infinite  mercy,  not  willingly  afflicting  us,  but  sending 
our  sorrows  as  a  precious  and  health-bearing  medicine  ?  I  am  told,  and 
I  believe  it,  that  all  which  He  does  is  done  in  love.  Here  then  is  solid 
comfort.  Secure  that  our  Physician  knows  what  is  best  for  us,  and  does 
it,  a  stop  seems  put  to  all  idle  complaints  of  the  sharpness  or  bitterness 
of  the  remedy.  The  answer  to  them  all  is,  '  It  is  the  Lord  ;  let  Him 
do  what  seemeth  him  good.'  It  seems  hardly  worth  while  to  puzzle 
one's  self  why  he  does  so  and  so.  He  has  expressly  said,  '  What  I  do 
thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter.'  There  is  too 
another  way  of  silencing  and  stifling  grief.  The  apostle  gives  us  the 
argument  in  a  perfect  form.  '  We  faint  not,'  he  says,  '  for  our  light 
affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceed- 
ing and  eternal  weight  of  glory.'  There  is  something  quite  irresistible 
in  this.  The  affliction,  whatever  it  may  be,  and  however  sad  in  itself, 
and  while  we  limit  our  view  to  it,  is  in  reason,  as  well  as  in  faith,  light 
as  compared  with  the  weight,  short  as  compared  with  the  eternity  of 
that  joy  and  that  glory,  which  are  prepared  for  the  followers  of  Christ. 
Look  at  the  things  which  are  seen,  narrow  our  thoughts  to  the  pains 
and  disappointments  which  unexpectedly  break  in  upon  us,  and  there 
seems  no  room  for  peace ;  but  look  at  the  things  M-hich  are  not  seen, 
let  one's  mind  range  through  a  boundless  eternity,  remember  that  we 
have  the  promise  of  God  that  there  we  shall  find  that  He  has  provided 
for  us  beyond  what  eye  has  seen  or  imagination  conceived ;  and  then  to 
be  over  anxious  as  to  what  may  befal  us  in  the  present  hour,  and  to  be 
diffident  whether  our  merciful  Master  can  and  will  compensate  us  for 
our  present  trials,  seems  to  be  want  of  sense  and  reason.  *  *  *  After 
all,  we  have  nothing  to  say,  in  cases  of  human  suffering  and  disappoint- 
ment, but  one  thing,  but  that  one  thing  carries  with  it  supreme  and  all- 
sufficient  comfort — namely,  that  Christ  died  for  us,  and  hath,  actual/// 
hath,  begotten  us  again  to  a  lively  hope,  to  an  inheritance  incorruptible 
and  undefiled,  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in  Ufa  von  for  you  and 
yours." 


1834.]  THE  WEST  INDIES.  287 

Great  anxiety  now  began  to  be  felt  as  to  tlie  manner  in  which 
the  Emancipation  Act  might  have  been  received  in  the  West 
Indies.  The  accounts  of  this  event  at  length  arrived,  and  proved 
to  be  highly  satisfactory.  The  planters  had  received  the  new 
law  without  irritation,  the  negroes  without  excitement  or  in- 
subordination, and  the  colonial  legislatures  immediately  prepared 
to  carry  it  into  effect  on  the  following  1st  of  August. 

"Northrepps  Hall,  Dec.  29,  1833. 

"  In  turning  to  my  prayers  for  the  slavery  cause  on  last  new  year's 
day,  I  cannot  but  acknowledge  that  they  have  been  most  signally  and 
surprisingly  fulfilled.  Thou,  O  Lord,  hast  stood  forth  its  advocate; 
thou  hast  controlled  events,  and  disposed  the  nation  to  tbe  accomplish- 
ment of  liberty,  and  that  liberty  in  peace  ;  and  peaceful  liberty  to  the 
slave  has  been  accompanied  by  increased  prosperity  to  the  master ;  every 
word  of  that  prayer  has  been  accomplished,  and  I  bless  thee  for  thy 
signal  bounty." 

On  the  17th  of  March  Mr.  Stanley  gave  a  most  satisfactory 
account  in  the  House  of  the  continued  tranquillity  and  prosperity 
of  the  West  Indies,  while  awaiting  the  day  of  freedom.  Mr. 
Buxton  is  described  as  "  full  of  joy  at  Mr.  Stanley's  speech:  he 
says,  '  I  go  to  sleep  thinking  of  it,  I  wake  thinking  of  it.' "  Some 
one  said  to  him  in  the  House,  in  reference  to  Mr.  Stanley's  state- 
ment, "  This  is  worth  living  for,  and  dying  for."  Indeed  the 
cordial  tone,  not  only  of  his  coadjutors,  but  of  his  late  opponents 
also,  was  most  gratifying  to  him. 

Lord  Suffield  writes  on  this  occasion: — 

"Gunton  Park,  March  20,  1834. 

"  My  dear  Buxton, — I  read  Stanley's  reply  to  your  questions  with 
infinite  pleasure  and  thankfulness  for  God's  blessing  upon  our  efforts, 
the  prosperous  issue  of  which  appears  to  be  so  far  beyond  all  that  human 
foresight  could  anticipate.  The  fact  is  we  were  not  half  so  confident  as 
we  should  have  been  in  the  success  of  a  work  tending  in  so  great  a  de- 
gree to  promote  the  honour  and  glory  of  God,  and  the  temporal  and 
eternal  interests  of  his  coloured  creatures. 

"  But  here  you  are  more  chargeable  than  myself;  to  my  shame  be  it 
said,  '  the  honour  and  glory  of  God '  made  a  very  small  part  of  my  con- 
sideration, whereas,  in  yours,  it  was  chiefly  uppermost.  Believe  me  I 
am  duly  sensible  now  of  my  unworthiness  to  have  been  made  in  any 
degree  an  humble  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  to  accomplish  so  great 


288  CHEERING  INTELLIGENCE.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

an  achievement. — You  felt  what  you  were  doing  throughout ;  you  acted 
from  the  right  motive,  and  therefore  had  better  ground  than  myself  for 
being  confident  of  unbounded  success. 

"  Ever  truly  yours, 

"  SlTFIELD." 

TO  MISS  BUXTON  AT  EARLHAM. 

"54,  Devonshire  Street,  Feb.  4,  1834. 

"  It  is  curious  how  many  compliments  we  West  Indian  fanatics  * 
have  had  on  the  success  of  our  measure.  I  have  just  been  in  the 

House ;  and  among  a  great  variety  of  congratulators,  I  saw  , 

who  said  that  nothing  could  be  doing  better ;  and  he  added,  that, 
having  lately  read  my  speeches  from  the  first  to  the  last,  he  must 
confess  that  he  was  surprised  to  find  how  true  and  sound  they  had 
been.  Stanley  whispered,  '  I  congratulate  you.'  I  answered,  '  I  congra- 
tulate you.' 

"  But  I  now  come  from  the  House  of  Lords,  where  Lord  Grey,  in 
reply  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  has  been  pronouncing  a  splendid  eu- 
logium  on  '  that  beneficent  measure,'  as  it  was  called  in  the  King's 
Speech,  '  which  extirpated  the  worst  of  all  human  evils  ;'  and  taunting 
the  Duke  with  having  been  a  prophet  of  evil,  whereas  nothing  but  good 
has  as  yet  resulted.  I  am  quite  pleased.  This  is  the  impression  which 
the  events  of  the  day  have  made  on  me. 

"  Love  to  Joseph  and  Mary ;  quote  to  them  my  favourite  verse  : — 

'  Those  are  not  empty  hearted,  whose  low  sounds 
Reverb  no  hollowness.'  f 

"  It  applies  much  to  my  silent  feelings  towards  them." 

TO  MISS  BUXTON. 

"Devonshire  Street,  Feb.  14,  1834. 

"We  yesterday  dined  at  Ham  House  to  meet  the  Rothschilds  ;  and 
very  amusing  it  was.  He  (Rothschild)  told  us  his  life  and  adventures. 
He  was  the  third  son  of  the  banker  at  Frankfort.  '  There  was  not,'  he 
said,  '  room  enough  for  us  all  in  that  city.  I  dealt  in  English  goods. 
One  great  trader  came  there  who  had  the  market  to  himself:  lu-  was 
quite  the  great  man,  and  did  us  a  favour  if  he  sold  us  goods.  Somehow 
I  offended  him,  and  he  refused  to  show  me  his  patterns.  This  was  on 


*  He  overheard  one  member  say  to  another,  «  So,  after  all,  the  fanatics 
ere  right !" 
t  '  King  Lear.' 


1834.]  BARON  ROTHSCHILD.  289 

a  Tuesday  ;  I  said  to  my  father,  '  I  will  go  to  England.'  I  could  speak 
nothing  but  German.  On  the  Thursday  I  started  ;  the  nearer  I  got  to 
England,  the  cheaper  goods  were.  As  soon  as  I  got  to  Manchester,  I 
laid  out  all  my  money,  things  were  so  cheap ;  and  I  made  good  profit. 
I  soon  found  that  there  were  three  profits — the  raw  material,  the  dyeing, 
and  the  manufacturing.  I  said  to  the  manufacturer,  '  I  will  supply  you 
with  material  and  dye,  and  you  supply  me  with  manufactured  goods.' 
So  I  got  three  profits  instead  of  one,  and  I  could  sell  goods  cheaper  than 
anybody.  In  a  short  time  I  made  my  20,000^.  into  60,000/.  My  suc- 
cess all  turned  on  one  maxim.  I  said,  I  can  do  what  another  man  can, 
and  so  I  am  a  match  for  the  man  with  the  patterns,  and  for  all  the  rest 
of  them!  Another  advantage  I  had.  I  was  an  oft-hand  man.  I  made 
a  bargain  at  once.  When  I  was  settled  in  London,  the  East  India 
Company  had  800, 0001.  worth  of  gold  to  sell.  I  went  to  the  sale,  and 
bought  it  all.  I  knew  the  Duke  of  Wellington  must  have  it.  I  had 
bought  a  great  many  of  his  bills  at  a  discount.  The  Government 
sent  for  me,  and  said  they  must  have  it.  When  they  had  got  it, 
they  did  not  know  how  to  get  it  to  Portugal.  I  undertook  all  that, 
and  I  sent  it  through  France ;  and  that  was  the  best  business  I  ever 
did.' 

"Another  maxim,  on  which  he  seemed  to  place  great  reliance,  was 
never  to  have  anything  to  do  with  an  unlucky  place  or  an  unlucky  man. 
'  I  have  seen,'  said.'  he.  '  many  clever  men,  very  clever  men,  who  had 
not  shoes  to  their  feet.  I  never  act  with  them.  Their  advice  sounds 
very  well,  but  fate  is  against  them  ;  they  cannot  get  on  them- 
selves ;  and  if  they  cannot  do  good  to  themselves,  how  can  they  do 
good  to  me  ?  '  By  aid  of  these  maxims  he  has  acquired  three  millions 
of  money. 

"  '  I  hope,'  said ,  '  that  your  children  are  not  too  fond  of 

money  and  business,  to  the  exclusion  of  more  important  things.  I  am 
sure  you  would  not  wish  that.'  Rothschild. — '  I  am  sure  I  should  wish 
that.  I  wish  them  to  give  mind,  and  soul,  and  heart,  and  body,  and 
everything  to  business ;  that  is  the  way  to  be  happy.  It  requires  a  great 
deal  of  boldness  and  a  great  deal  of  caution  to  make  a  great  fortune ; 
and  when  you  have  got  it,  it  requires  ten  times  as  much  wit  to  keep  it. 
If  I  were  to  listen  to  all  the  projects  proposed  to  me,  I  should  ruin 
myself  very  soon.  Stick  to  one  business,  young  man,' said  he  to  Ed- 
ward ;  'stick  to  your  brewery,  and  you  may  be  the  great  brewer  of 
London.  Be  a  brewer,  and  a  banker,  and  a  merchant,  and  a  manu- 
facturer, and  you  will  soon  be  in  the  Gazette.  *  *  *  One  of  my 
neighbours  is  a  very  ill-tempered  man ;  he  tries  to  vex  me,  and  has 
built  a  great  place  for  swine,  close  to  my  walk.  So,  when  I  go  out,  I 
hear  first  grunt,  grunt,  squeak,  squeak  ;  but  this  does  me  no  harm.  I  am 

u 


290  NORTHREPPS  COTTAGE.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

always  in  good  humour.  Sometimes,  to  amuse  myself,  I  give  a  beggar 
a  guinea.  He  thinks  it  is  a  mistake,  and  for  fear  I  should  find  it  out,  off 
he  runs  as  hard  as  he  can.  I  advise  you  to  give  a  beggar  a  guinea  some- 
times ;  it  is  very  amusing.' 

"The  daughters  are  very  pleasing.  The  second  son  is  a  mighty 
hunter  ;  and  his  father  lets  him  buy  any  horses  he  likes.  He  lately  ap- 
plied to  the  emperor  of  Morocco  for  a  first-rate  Arab  horse.  The  em- 
peror sent  him  a  magnificent  one,  but  he  died  as  he  landed  in  England. 
The  poor  youth  said  very  feelingly,  '  that  was  the  greatest  misfortune  he 
ever  had  suffered  ;'  and  I  felt  strong  sympathy  with  him.  I  forgot  to 
say,  that  soon  after  M.  Rothschild  came  to  England,  Bonaparte  invaded 
Germany  ;  '  The  Prince  of  Hesse  Cassel,'  said  Rothschild,  '  gave  my 
father  his  money  ;  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost ;  he  sent  it  to  me. 
I  had  600,00(W.  arrive  unexpectedly  by  the  post ;  and  I  put  it  to  such 
good  use,  that  the  prince  made  me  a  present  of  all  his  wine  and  his 
linen.' " 

During  the  Easter  recess  Mr.  Buxton  thus  writes  from  North- 
repps  Cottage  : — 

»  "  March  27.  1834. 

"  Now  for  a  history  of  my  day.  After  a  cheerful  breakfast  I  lounged 
with  a  book  to  the  Hall.  It  looks  brighter  than  I  expected  ;  the  day 
so  fine,  the  flowers  so  abundant,  and  the  birds  so  happy.  I  am  going  to 
sell  my  sheep,  so  there  is  the  end  of  that  sagacious  speculation.  Anna 
Gurney  called  for  me  there  and  took  me  first  to  Mr.  Law's,  where  I 
saw  a  great  craniologist,  who  spent  an  hour  over  my  head,  and  told 
me  strange  news  of  myself;  some  hitting  the  mark,  and  others  far  away 
from  it. 

"  Then  we  drove  to  Trimingham,  where  wre  looked  at  fossils,  and  at 
the  calm  sea,  and  the  land  which  I  am  to  have  for  shooting.  We  got 
home  about  2  o'clock,  and  she  read  to  me  till  our  quiet  lively  dinner  ; 
everything  vastly  agreeable.  Moscow  *  was  allowed  to  come  in  and 
dine  with  us.  After  dinner,  reading  and  a  trifle  of  sleep,  and  so  on,  till 
now.  The  only  take  oft0  is,  that  I  am  quite  out  of  my  element,  hardly 
knowing  what  to  do  in  the  country  at  this  time  of  year." 

"April  13,  1834. 

"  My  birthday  is  just  passed  :  though  I  did  not  minute  down  my 
thoughts,  it  did  not  pass  unheeded.  How  had  I  to  exult  and  to  thank 
my  God  for  His  mercy  with  regard  to  the  slave  question !  On  the  17th 
of  March,  Stanley,  in  answer  to  a  question  from  me,  gave  a  most  highly 

*  A  favourite  Newfoundland  dog. 


1834.]  REFLECTIONS.  291 

encouraging  account  of  what  was  going  on  in  the  West  Indies  ; — the  whip 
abolished,  the  negroes  more  industrious,  no  disturbance,  no  murmur,  no 
ruin  to  the  planter. 

"  Three  years  ago  who  dreamt  of  such  a  termination  ?  What  would 
I  have  given  to  secure  such  good  tidings,  even  one  year  ago,  on  the  19th 
of  March,  the  day  of  my  motion  !  Do  I  say  more  than  the  truth,  when 
I  say  I  would  have  given  my  life  ? 

"  Blessed  be  God,  for  ever  blessed,  for  this  singular  mercy  ! 
*  *  *  *  * 

"I  have  now  been  walking  in  the  garden,  and  having  an  hour  of 
earnest  prayer.  I  was  much  affected  by  looking  at  the  expanse  of  the 
skies — the  moon — the  masses  of  cloud.  They  gave  me- a  more  realizing 
view  of  Him  who  created  them  all,  that  wonderful  Being,  so  great  as  to 
govern  the  universe,  so  merciful  as  to  regard  such  a  worm  as  I  am,  and 
to  bear  with  my  transgressions. 

"Oh!  that  I  might  always  carry  with  me  the  same  awful  sense 
of  His  presence,  and  such  a  realisation  of  His  majesty  and  of  His 
goodness !  " 

Neither  in  public  nor  in  private  did  he  forget  to  give  God  the 
glory  of  the  success  that  was  obtained.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  May  loth,  after  alluding  to  Mr. 
Wilberforce  and  Mr.  Macaulay,  he  said  : — 

"  But  let  it  not  be  supposed  that  we  give  the  praise  of  the  abolition  of 
slavery  to  Mr.  Wilberforce,  or  to  Mr.  Macaulay,  or  to  *any  man.  I 
know  the  obligations  we  owe  them  ;  but  the  voice  of  the  Christian  peo- 
ple of  England  wras  the  instrument  of  victory.  Its  Author,  however,  was 
not  of  human  race  ;  but,  infinite  in  power,  what  His  mercy  decreed,  His 
fiat  effected." 

The  spring  and  summer  of  1834  were  spent  chiefly  in  active 
exertions  for  the  benefit  of  those  so  soon  to  be  liberated,  watch- 
ing the  regulations  adopted  in  the  different  islands ;  carefully 
investigating  the  appointment  of  the  stipendiary  magistrates ; 
and  especially  endeavouring  to  provide  for  the  education  and 
religious  instruction  of  the  negroes.  He  was  in  constant  com- 
munication on  this  subject  with  Mr.  Stanley,  and  corresponded 
largely  with  the  secretaries  of  various  benevolent  societies,  trying 
to  stir  up  their  zeal  on  behalf  of  the  newly  emancipated  blacks. 
A  noble  example  was  set  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  which  promised  a  New  Testament  and  Psalter  to  every 

u  2 


292  LADY  MICO'S  FUND.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

negro  who  should  be  found  able  to  read  on  the  Christmas-clay 
after  emancipation. 

Amongst  other  schemes  there  was  one  of  great  importance, 
which  at  length  succeeded.  Some  years  before  this  time,  Mr. 
Buxton  had  received  information  that  a  certain  Lady  Mico,  who 
died  in  1710,  had  left  a  sum  of  money  to  her  daughter  on  con- 
dition of  her  not  marrying  a  specified  individual,  in  which  case 
it  was  to  be  devoted  to  the  redemption  of  white  slaves  in  Bar- 
bary.  The  daughter  married  and  lost  the  money,  which  accu- 
mulated till,  in  1827  (when  no  Christian  slaves  remained  in 
Barbary),  it  amounted  to  more  than  110,OOOJ.  "  This  sum," 
wrote  Mr.  Buxton  to  Mr.  Macaulay,  from  Cromer,  "  Lush- 
ington  thinks  we  shall  be  able  to  get  applied  in  the  right 
way,  if  you  come  by  the  Holt  coach  on  Saturday. — William 
Smith  comes  on  Friday.  I  will  send  for  you  to  Holt  on  Saturday 
night." 

At  length,  after  much  expense  and  trouble,  the  money  was 
obtained,  and  invested  in  the  names  of  Dr.  Lushington.  Mr. 
Buxton,  and  two  other  trustees,  to  be  employed  in  the  education 
of  the  negroes.  To  the  interest  of  this  sura  the  Government 
added  a  temporary  grant  of  20,000/.  per  annum  ;  and  the  proper 
and  most  efficient  application  of  this  money  occupied  much  of 
Mr.  Buxton's  time  and  attention.  He,  as  well  as  the  other 
trustees,  spared  no  labour  in  the  endeavour  to  establish  schools, 
and  to  procure  schoolmasters  of  ability  and  piety.  Their  chief 
agent  was  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Trew  (now  Archdeacon  of  the  Bahamas), 
who  had  won  Mr.  Buxton's  highest  esteem  by  the  sacrifices  and 
efforts  he  had  made  on  behalf  of  the  negroes,  during  a  long  re- 
sidence in  Jamaica. 

The  following  interesting  memoranda,  in  connection  with  the 
subject,  were  preserved  by  Mr.  Trew. 

"  The  letter  in  which  Mr.  Buxton  announced  my  appointment  said, 
'  I  have  named  you  to  the  trustees  for  this  important  work.  They  are 
abundantly  satisfied ;  and  if  you  are  prepared  to  carry  out  their  views 
upon  a  liberal  and  comprehensive  basis,  you  will  proceed  immediately  to 
London.'  Immediately  on  my  arrival  in  town,  I  called  upon  Mr.  Bux- 
ton, and  said  to  him,  *  I  do  not  quite  understand  what  is  to  be  the  basis 
of  your  system,  or  what  is  meant  by  your  "liberal  and  comprehensive! 
principles."  '  '  What  is  your  own  view  of  the  case  V  '  was  the  rejoinder. 


1834.]  MR.  TREWS  RECOLLECTIONS.  293 

'  My  view  of  the  case,'  said  I,  '  is  simply  this  :  I  take  the  whole  word 
of  God  to  be  the  only  right  basis  upon  which  a  Christian  education  can 
rest;  will  you  concede  this?'  'Granted,'  he  replied;  'and  let  me 
assure  you,  that  upon  no  other  principles  would  I  have  anything  to  do 
with  this  charity.'  Upon  those  principles  he  commenced,  and  by  those 
principles  he  and  his  co-trustees  ever  after  continued  to  be  governed. 
Having  been  deputed  by  his  colleagues  to  examine  the  teachers  when 
selected  by  their  agent,  preparatory  to  their  embarkation  for  the  West 
Indies,  it  was  delightful  to  witness  the  condescension  and  tenderness 
with  which  he  was  accustomed  to  address  them.  He  had  a  word  of 
kindness  and  of  encouragement  for  each.  To  one  he  would  say,  as  he 
reached  forth  his  hand  to  bid  him  farewell,  '  Well!  you  are  going  upon 
an  arduous  work  ;  but  it  is  a  noble  undertaking.  I  Hope  that  you  may 
do  well,  and  that  God  may  bless  you.'  To  another,  '  Write  to  us  often, 
we  are  deeply  interested  in  your  welfare  ;  you  have  the  prayers  of  many 
for  your  success.'  He  used  to  remark,  '  I  like  to  know  these  men,  that 
I  may  identify  each  with  his  peculiar  sphere  of  labour.'  And  if  he  thus 
desired  to  know  them,  truly  it  may  be  said  that  his  affectionate  parting 
remembrance  was  never  forgotten  by  any  of  them.  They  honoured  him, 
and  they  loved  him. 

"  Never  shall  I  forget  the  effect  which  his  manner  and  address 
produced  upon  some  young  men  who  were  shortly  afterwards  to 
proceed  to  the  West  Indies.  On  the  occasion  referred  to,  Mr.  Buxton, 
having  been  detained  beyond  his  appointed  hour,  owing  to  his  having 
been  at  Court,  came  direct  from  the  palace  before  he  changed  his  dress. 
The  schoolmasters  in  waiting,  who  were  simple  men,  chiefly  from 
Scotland  and  Ireland,  not  one  of  whom  had  ever  been  in  London 
before,  were  much  struck  by  his  appearance;  but  when,  as  they  were 
severally  introduced,  he  took  them  kindly  by  the  hand  and  conversed 
with  each,  as  one  interested  in  their  respective  prospects  and  welfare, 
they  were  astonished  beyond  measure,  and  went  forth  to  their  labours, 
assured  that  they  had  in  him  a  sympathising  Christian  friend  ;  and 
many  indeed  were  the  opportunities  which  subsequently  presented 
themselves,  whereby  he  proved  that  his  feelings  of  interest  in  their 
welfare  were  not  evanescent,  but  the  result  of  Christian  principle, 
operating  upon  a  naturally  amiable  and  generous  heart. 

"  In  those  islands  for  which  comparatively  little  had  been  done 
previously  to  the  period  of  their  emancipation,  as  in  Trinidad,  St. 
Lucia,  Mauritius,  Seychelles,  &c.,  he  took  the  most  lively  interest, 
always  maintaining  the  principle,  and  acting  on  it  also,  that  the  training 
of  native  agents  was  essential  to  a  general  diffusion  of  knowledge 
amongst  the  islanders.  With  a  view  to  this,  he  advocated  the  establish- 
ment of  normal  schools  in  the  most  important  of  our  colonies ;  and  he 


294  APPROACH  OF  THE  DAY  OF  FREEDOM.    [CHAP.  xxi. 

had  the  happiness  of  living  to  know  that  so  successful  were  the  operations 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  that,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  upwards  of 
500  teachers  were  trained  in  these  model  seminaries  ;  and  that,  too,  for 
every  denomination  of  Christian  Missionaries." 

The  first  of  August,  1834,  the  day  on  which  the  emancipation 
of  the  slaves  was  to  take  place,  was  drawing  near ;  an  address, 
written  by  Mr.  Buxton  in  the  name  of  the  Anti-slavery  Society, 
forcibly  shows  what  were  his  feelings  on  the  occasion : — 

"  Surely  a  day  of  such  vast  moment  to  the  welfare  of  one  part  of  the 
empire,  and  to  the  honour  of  the  whole,  ought  not  to  pass  unnoticed. 
*  *  *  It  is  a  day  for  undoing  the  heavy  burdens  and  letting  the 
oppressed  go  free ;  and  the  true  celebration  of  such  an  event  is  in 
hearty  and  united  thanksgiving  to  God  for  this  marvellous  achievement, 
and  prayer  that  He  will  bless  the  work,  bless  the  givers,  bless  the 
receivers,  and  make  it  a  source  of  blessing  to  the  oppressed  and  afflicted 
throughout  the  world.  *  *  *  Some  may  think  that  this  great  work 
was  accomplished  by  the  act  of  man ;  some  will  ascribe  it  to  one  body, 
and  some  to  another ;  but  we  trust  that  our  friends,  now  that  the 
conflict  of  party  has  ceased,  and  the  cloud  raised  around  us  by  the 
passions  of  man  has  been  dispersed,  will  unite  in  acknowledging  the 
signal  providence  of  Almighty  God,  who  has,  from  the  beginning  to 
the  end,  been  the  true  doer  of  the  glorious  work ;  originating  it  in  the 
hearts  of  its  advocates ;  lifting  it  over  the  all  but  insurmountable 
obstacles  of  its  early  day  ;  setting  at  nought  the  counsels  alike  of  friends 
and  foes  ;  providing  means,  providing  instruments,  unexpected,  diverse, 
conflicting ;  yet,  under  the  skilful  guidance  of  the  Divine  hand,  all 
urging  forward  the  same  conclusion  ;  and  from  the  chaos  of  confusion, 
from  the  battle  of  irreconcileable  opinions,  bringing  us  to  the  scarcely 
credible  consummation  of  emancipation  in  peace,  in  harmony,  in  safety, 
in  congratulation  and  acquiescence  on  all  sides." 

Five  days  before  the  first  of  August,  he  thus  refers  to  it  in 
his  book  of  meditations  : — 

"  July  27,  Sumlny. 

"  On  Friday  next  slavery  is  to  cease  throughout  the  British  colonies  ! 
I  wished,  therefore,  to  have  a  season  of  deep  retirement  of  soul,  of 
earnest  prayer,  and  of  close  communion  with  my  God,  and,  for  this 
purpose,  I  went  to  a  Friends'  meeting.  I  began  with  earnest  prayer 
for  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  He  should  take  the  helm  in  all 
our  doings,  and  navigate  us  in  peace  and  safety  throughout  our  whole 
voyage.  Then,  in  deep  humiliation,  in  a  sense  of  my  own  great  guilt 
and  ingratitude,  I  made  confession  of  such  sins  as  occurred  to  me,  and 


THE  DAY  OF  FREEDOM.  295 

pleaded  hard  with  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  '  in  whom  we  have  redemption 
through  His  blood;  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins.'  This  prayer  was 
offered  in  some  trouble  of  soul,  and  in  a  full  sense  that  every  other  cord 
was  broken,  and  that  the  only  cable  by  which  I  could  hold  on  was  for- 
giveness through  Christ.  Then  I  returned  thanks — I  was  sensibly 
affected  with  a  view  of  God's  dealings  with  me.  Each  one  knows  the 
history  of  himself,  and  many  things  are  known  to  him  which  are  con- 
ceali'd  from  others — perhaps,  therefore,  others  could  recount  similar 
experience,  but  to  me  it  appears  that  there  has  been  a  strange  and 
peculiar  guidance  over  me ;  and  that  God,  designing  to  commit  to  me  in 
his  goodness  some  share  in  the  emancipation  of  the  negroes,  had  ori- 
ginated contrivances,  and  ordered  events,  singularly  suitable  for  such  a 
result.  Then  I  prayed  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  those 
700,000  oppressed  and  persecuted  children  of  our  common  Father  who 
will  be  liberated  on  that  day.  O  thou  who  hast  been  indeed  their 
merciful  Deliverer,  who,  for  the  oppression  of  the  poor  and  the  sighing 
of  the  needy,  hast  arisen  and  set  them  in  safety  ;  add,  we  beseech  thce, 
to  all  thy  benefits,  by  such  an  effusion  and  outpouring  of  thy  Spirit,  as 
shall  make  them  a  people  peculiarly  obedient  to  thy  commandments, 
and  peculiarly  visited  by  thy  presence,  and  that,  as  by  thy  goodness 
they  are  changed  from  slaves  to  freemen,  they  may  also  be  transformed 
from  heathens  into  Christians;  in  deed,  in  spirit,  and  in  truth. 

"  And  now  I  commend  next  Friday  to  thee,  my  merciful  God.  May 
it  be  a  happy  day,  and  the  harbinger  of  many,  many  happy  days,  to 
one  very,  very  dear  to  me,  and  to  multitudes  for  whom  I  have  been 
favoured  long  to  labour!" 

The  anxiously  expected  first  of  August  at  length  arrived.  It 
was  kept  very  generally  throughout  England  as  a  day  of  re- 
joicing. To  Mr.  Buxton  it  was  rendered  memorable,  not  only 
by  the  consummation  of  that  great  work  to  which  his  heart  had 
so  ardently  been  given,  but  also  because  on  this  day  his  eldest 
daughter  was  married  to  Mr.  Andrew  Johnston,  of  Renny  Hill 
in  Fifeshire,  M.P.  for  St.  Andrews.  He  thus  alluded  to  the 
circumstance,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Philip  at  Cape  Town  : 
"  I  surrendered  my  vocation,  and,  next  to  Macaulay,  my  best 
human  helper  in  it,  on  the  same  day  ;  and  I  am  not  only  well 
contented,  but  very  happy,  and  very  thankful,  that  she  is  so 
bestowed." 

A  large  circle  of  his  connections  assembled  at  his  house  on 
the  occasion,  and  expressed  the  lively  interest  with  which  they 
had  sympathised  in  his  public  labours,  by  presenting  him  with 


296  THE  DAY  OF  FREEDOM.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

two  handsome  pieces  of  plate,  in  commemoration  of  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  slaves. 

It  was  indeed  a  day  which  called  forth  the  expression  of  his 
deepest  feelings  of  thankfulness,  and  of  his  most  earnest  desires 
for  blessing's  on  those  near  and  afar  off,  to  whom  the  day  was 
one  of  such  signal  importance. 

"Never  had  we,"  he  said,  "such  a  call  for  thanksgiving,  never 
such  occasion  to  pray  for  a  blessing,  as  upon  the  work  of  this  day.  It 
is  demonstration  to  our  understandings,  it  is  vision  to  our  minds,  that 
God  has  done  it.  We  had  no  might,  neither  knew  we  what  to  do. 
The  battle  was  not  ours,  but  God's.  The  Lord  has  been  with  us." 

TO  MRS.  UPCHER. 

"  August  1,  1834,  four  o'clock. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — The  bride  is  just  off.     Everything  has  passed 
off  to  admiration,  and  there  is  not  a  slave  in  the  British  colonies!" 
"  Mark  the  seal,  '  Safe  and  satisfactory.'  " 

In  the  evening  the  leading  Abolitionists  dined  together  at 
the  Freemasons'  Tavern ;  the  Earl  of  Mulgrave,  the  late 
Governor  of  Jamaica,  in  the  chair. 

But  many  of  those  who  shared  in  the  festivities  of  the  day 
could  not  divest  themselves  of  a  feeling  of  uneasiness,  when  they 
thought  of  what  might,  at  that  very  time,  be  passing  in  the 
West  Indies.  The  period  that  intervened  between  August, 

1833,  when  Mr.  Stanley's  measure  became  law,  and  August  1, 

1834,  when  it  was  to  take  effect,  had  indeed  passed  away  in  un- 
exampled tranquillity.     But  would  not  the  gloomy  predictions 
of  the  West  Indians  be   now  fulfilled  ?     The  bloodshed,   the 
rioting,    the    drunkenness,    and    confusion    they    had    so   often 
foretold — would  not  these  tarnish  the  lustre  of  this  glorious  deed 
of  the  British  people? 

It  was,  therefore,  with  feelings  of  deep  solicitude,  that  Mr. 
Buxton  and  his  friends  awaited  the  news  from  the  colonies.  He 
was  at  Northrepps  Hall,  when,  on  the  10th  of  September,  a 
large  pile  of  letters  came  in  with  the  colonial  stamps  upon  them. 
Well  knowing  that  they  would  contain  the  long-looked-for  intel- 
ligence, he  took  them,  still  sealed,  in  his  hand,  and  walked  out 
into  the  wood  ;  desiring  no  witness  but  One  of  the  emotion  and 
anxiety  he  experienced.  He  opened  them :  and  deep  indeed  was 


1834.]  THE  DAY  OF  FREEDOM.  297 

his  joy  and  gratitude  to  God,  when  he  found  that  one  letter 
after  another  was  filled  with  accounts  of  the  admirable  conduct 
of  the  negroes  on  the  great  day  of  freedom.  Throughout  the 
colonies  the  churches  and  chapels  had  been  thrown  open,  and 
the  slaves  had  crowded  into  them,  on  the  evening  of  the  31st  of 
July.  As  the  hour  of  midnight  approached,  they  fell  upon  their 
knees,  and  awaited  the  solemn  moment,  all  hushed  in  silent 
prayer.  When  twelve  sounded  from  the  chapel  bells,  they 
sprang  upon  their  feet,  and  through  every  island  rang  the  glad 
sound  of  thanksgiving  to  the  Father  of  all  ;  for  the  chains  were 
broken,  and  the  slaves  were  free.* 

*  Amongst  the  many  beautiful  verses  which  the  occasion  called  forth,  the 
following,  by  Mr.  James  Montgomery,  stand  pre-eminent : — 

"  Hie  to  the  mountains  afar, 

All  in  the  cool  of  the  even, 
Led  by  yon  beautiful  star, 

First  of  the  daughters  of  heaven  : 
Sweet  to  the  slave  is  the  season  of  rest : 

Something  far  sweeter  he  looks  for  to-night, 
His  heart  lies  awake  in  the  depth  of  his  breast, 

And  listens  till  God  shall  say,  '  Let  there  be  light ! ' 

"  Climb  we  the  mountain,  and  stand 

High  in  mid  air,  to  inhale, 
Fresh  from  our  old  father-land, 
Balm  in  the  ocean-borne  gale. 
Darkness  yet  covers  the  face  of  the  deep  : 

Spirit  of  freedom  !  go  forth  in  thy  might, 
To  break  up  our  bondage,  like  infancy's  sleep, 

The  moment  when  God  shall  say,  '  Let  there  be  light! ' 

"  Gaze  we  awhile  from  this  peak, 

Praying  in  thought  while  we  gaze ; 
Watch  for  the  dawning's  first  streak, — • 

Prayer  then  be  turned  into  praise. 
Shout  to  the  valleys  '  Behold  ye  the  morn, 

Long,  long  desired,  but  denied  to  our  sight ! ' 
Lo !  myriads  of  slaves  into  men  are  new-born, 
The  word  was  omnipotent — '  Let  there  be  light ! ' 

"  Hear  it  and  hail  it ;— the  call 
Island  to  island  prolong ; — 
Liberty  !  liberty  !  all 

Join  in  that  jubilee  song.  [Hark, 


298  CONDUCT  OF  THE  NEGROES.  [CHAP.  xxi. 


TO  THE  RIGHT  REV.  DANIEL  WILSOX,  LORD  BISHOP  OF  CALCUTTA. 

"  Cromer,  Oct.  21,  1834. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — How  long  have  I  neglected  to  write  to  you, 
and  how  often  have  I  reproached  myself  for  it !  My  only  excuse  for  it 
is,  that  Andrew  Johnston,  M.P.  (who  breakfasted  at  your  house,  just 
before  your  departure),  has  run  away  with  my  secretary,  Priscilla. 
They  were  married  on  the  1st  of  August, — the  day  on  which,  says  the 
Act  of  Parliament,  '  Slavery  shall  cease  and  be  unlawful  in  the 
British  colonies,  plantations,  and  possessions.'  I  know  you  heartily 
rejoiced  at  this  termination  of  our  labours ;  for  I  remember  with 
gratitude,  that  you  were  ever  steadfast  and  faithful  to  that  good  cause. 
We  have  now  accounts  from  the  West  Indies  of  the  way  in  which  the 
1st  of  August  was  passed  ;  and  highly  satisfactory  they  are. 

u  The  apprenticeship  seems  to  go  down  with  the  negroes.  This 
is  wonderful  to  me ;  for  I  cannot  reconcile  it  even  now  to  my  reason 
that  this  system  should  flourish.  In  Antigua  the  legislature  wisely 
dispensed  with  the  apprenticeship,  and  from  thence  we  have  most 
encouraging  reports. 

"  A  letter,  dated  the  2nd  August,  says,  '  The  day  of  wonders — of 
anticipated  confusion,  riot,  and  bloodshed — has  passed  by,  and  all  is 
peace  and  order.'  On  Monday  the  negroes  all  returned  to  work.  Now 
this  quite  amuses,  as  well  as  pleases  me.  During  four  days'  examina- 
tion before  the  Lords,  they  asked  me,  among  a  thousand  strange 
questions,  '  If  emancipation  were  to  take  place  to-day,  what  would  the 
negroes  do  to-morrow  ?  '  I  replied,  '  To-morrow  they  would,  I  think, 
take  a  holiday  ;  so  they  would  on  Saturday  ;  on  Monday  I  expect  they 
would  go  to  work,  if  you  paid  them  for  it ! ' 

"  Another  letter,  dated  the  4th,  says : — '  Yesterday  I  was  round  the 
island,  and  did  not  hear  of  a  single  improper  act,  not  even  of  a  man 
being  intoxicated.  Our  chapels  were  crowded  to  suffocation.'  And 
not  only  from  Antigua,  but  from  every  other  quarter,  we  hear  that 
almost  the  whole  population  attended  chapel  or  church  on  the  day  of 
their  liberation." 


Hark,  'tis  the  children's  hosannahs  that  ring ! 
Hark,  they  are  freemen,  whose  voices  unite  ! 

While  England,  the  Indies,  and  AiVii-a  sin<j;, 

'  Amen  !  hallelujah  ! '  to  '  Let  there  be  light ! '  " 


1834.]  RESULTS  OF  EMANCIPATION.  299 


TO  MRS.  BUXTOX. 

"  Bellfield,  Nov.  23,  1834. 

"  I  could  not  get  a  place  in  the  Dorchester  Mail,  so  I  took  my  place 
to  Salisbury  in  another.  Soon  after  I  was  seated,  the  Bishop  of  Barba- 
does  got  in,  and  a  great  deal  of  very  interesting  conversation  we  had. 
lie  has  received  letters  from  many  parts  of  his  diocese,  giving  the  most 
encouraging  accounts.  At  Antigua  seven  important  results  have  fol- 
lowed emancipation : — 

"  First :  Wives  and  husbands  hitherto  living  on  different  estates  began 
to  live  together. 

"  Second  :  The  number  of  marriages  greatly  increased.  One  of  his 
clergy  had  married  ten  couple  a  week  since  the  1st  of  August. 

"Third:  The  schools  greatly  increased  ;  a  hundred  children  were 
added  in  one  district. 

"  Fourth  :  The  planters  complain  that  their  whole  weeding  gang, 
instead  of  going  to  work,  go  to  school. 

"Fifth:  All  the  young  women  cease  to  work  in  the  fields,  and  are 
learning  female  employments. 

"  Sixth  :  Friendly  societies  for  mutual  relief  have  increased. 

"  Seventh :  The  work  of  the  clergymen  is  doubled.  One  of  the 
chapels  which  held  300  is  being  enlarged,  so  as  to  contain  900,  and  will 
not  be  large  enough. 

"  The  utmost  desire  is  felt  by  the  negroes  for  religious  instruction, 
and  their  children  are  in  every  way  as  quick  in  learning  as  the  whites. 
The  most  intelligent  and  influential  of  the  Antigua  planters  tells  him 
that  the  experiment  is  answering  to  his  entire  satisfaction.  It  will 
require  some  time,  he  says,  for  the  planters  to  overcome  their  prejudices 
against  machinery.  He  has  not  heard  of  an  act  of  violence  anywhere. 
The  negroes  are  a  very  affectionate  and  docile  race.  He  has  seventy- 
seven  clergymen  in  his  diocese,  and  most  of  them  zealous  good  men. 
Twenty  young  men  have  been  educated  at  Codrington  College  for  the 
church ;  and  some  of  them,  who  are  already  ordained,  are  excellent 
ministers. 

"  But  now  about  my  journey.  When  we  got  to  Salisbury  the  Bishop 
and  I  posted  on  together.  I  dressed  and  breakfasted  at  Dorchester, 
and  went  on  very  cheerfully.  As  soon  as  I  got  to  Weymouth  I  col- 
lected some  of  the  best  of  my  party,  and  got  them  to  advise  me  to  do 
the  things  which  I  had  resolved  to  do,  viz.  to  canvass  immediately,  and 
to  abstain  from  anything  like  treating  or  giving  beer. 

"  I  said  publicly,  and  said  truly,  that  if  my  election  depended  on  a 
single  vote,  and  that  vote  was  to  be  sold  for  sixpence,  I  would  not 
give  it." 


300  THANKSGIVINGS.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

"  Northrepps,  Dec.  28,  1834. 

"  On  February  3,  1833,  I  prayed  that  thou,  O  Lord,  vvouldst  rise  up 
as  the  Advocate  of  the  oppressed,  disposing  all  hearts,  and  moulding  all 
events,  to  the  accomplishment  of  liberty,  and  that  liberty  in  peace :  pro- 
tecting their  masters  from  ruin  and  desolation. — Thou  didst  rise  up ! 
It  is  said  in  the  Psalms,  that  '  the  nations  shall  see  that  it  was  thy 
doing,'  and  how  manifest  was  thy  instrumentality  !  Who  raised  up  the 
population  of  England  to  demand  as  one  man  the  liberation  of  the  negro  ? 
Who  overruled  that  convincing  warning,  the  insurrection  in  Jamaica, 
to  prove  to  a  hesitating  Government  that  the  crisis  would  brook  no 
delay  ?  Who,  contrary  to  our  wishes,  caused  the  formation  of  those 
Parliamentary  committees  which,  designed  and  demanded  by  the  enemy, 
ended  in  their  discomfiture  ?  Who  sent  witnesses  at  the  very  crisis  in 
which  they  were  needed  ;  carrying  conviction  to  the  minds  ot  many  of 
our  antagonists,  that  slavery  must  be  abolished  ?  Who  prevailed  on  a 
money-loving  people  freely  to  sacrifice  twenty  millions  of  money  ? 
Who  thus  delivered  the  masters  from  ruin  and  desolation?  Who 
moulded  the  hearts  of  the  negroes,  so  that  their  first  act  was  universally 
crowding  to  the  chapels,  to  return  thanks  to  thee ;  then  of  their  own 
accord  abolishing  Sunday  markets,  and  abstaining  from  any  instance  of 
intoxication  ?  and  who  enabled  the  Governor  to  report  that  '  no  act  of 
violence  on  the  part  of  the  negroes  had  occurred '  ? 

"  In  each  of  these  events,  and  in  numberless  others,  it  were  blindness 
not  to  perceive  the  guidance  of  a  more  than  human  hand. 

"  Let  me  entreat  thee,  O  merciful  Father,  to  go  with  me,  to  guide 
me,  and  guard  me,  and  prosper  my  ways.  Oh !  the  comforting  plain- 
ness of  that  promise,  '  If  any  man  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  Got!,  and 
it  shall  be  given  him.'  " 


1834.]  TREATMENT  OF  ABORIGINES.  301 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

1834,  1835. 

Inquiry  into  the  Treatment  of  Aboriginal  Tribes  in  British  Colonies  — 
Address  to  the  King  on  the  Subject  —  Caffre  War  —  Aborigines'  Com- 
mittee —  Letters  —  Lord  Glenelg's  Despatch  —  Visit  from  a  Caffre  Chief 
—  Mr.  Buxton  turns  to  the  subject  of  the  Slave  Trade  of  Foreign  Nations 
—  An  Address  to  the  King  agreed  to. 

ALTHOUGH  the  summer  of  1834  was  mainly  occupied  by  Mr. 
Buxton  in  endeavours  to  complete  the  great  work  of  emanci- 
pation, yet  his  mind  was  much  occupied  by  a  new  undertaking, 
which,  however,  was  in  many  respects  similar  to  that  upon 
which  he  had  been  engaged. 

This  was  an  inquiry  into  the  condition  and  treatment  of  the 
aboriginal  inhabitants  of  our  colonies  ;  a  subject  peculiarly  cal- 
culated to  arouse  his  interest,  and,  indeed,  to  excite  his  indig- 
nation. "  I  protest,"  he  said,  "  I  hate  shooting  innocent 
savages  worse  than  slavery  itself." 

He  thus  concludes  a  long  paper  of  meditations,  dated  January, 
1834  :— 

"  Though  I  practise  not,  I  see  what  a  noble  course  there  is  opened 
for  me  ;  and  if  I  have  a  desire,  it  is  that  by  the  instrumentality  of  thy 
grace,  O  Lord,  thou  wouldest  mould  me  into  a  man  who  is  altogether 
thy  servant,  in  temper,  in  objects  of  pursuit,  in  labours,  in  meekness,  in 
charity,  in  faith,  in  godliness,  in  prayer,  and  in  practice,  directing  my 
steps  heavenward. 

"  My  attention  has  been  drawn  of  late  to  the  wickedness  of  our  pro- 
ceedings as  a  nation,  towards  the  ignorant  and  barbarous  natives  of 
countries  on  which  we  seize.  What  have  we  Christians  done  for  them  ? 
We  have  usurped  their  lands,  kidnapped,  enslaved,  and  murdered  them- 
selves. The  greatest  of  rheir  crimes  is  that  they  sometimes  trespass 
into  the  lands  of  their  forefathers  ;  and  the  very  greatest  of  their  mis- 
fortunes is  that  they  have  ever  become  acquainted  with  Christians. 
Shame  on  such  Christianity !  My  object  is  to  inquire  into  past  pro- 
ceedings, for  the  purpose  of  instituting  certain  rules  and  laws,  on  prin- 


302  TREATMENT  OF  ABORIGINES.  [CHAP.  xxn. 

ciples  of  justice,  for  the  future  treatment  of  the  aborigines  of  those 
countries  where  we  make  settlements. 

"  O  thou  God  of  mercy  and  justice,  who  hast  supported  me  and 
strengthened  me  in  the  ten  years'  combat  for  the  deliverance  of  the 
negro,  be  thou  my  guide  and  guardian  in  this  effort.  Let  it  be  con- 
ducted under  the  direction  of  thy  good  Spirit.  Let  prayer  be  made  for 
its  good  issue.  Give  us  wisdom  and  resolution.  Move  the  hearts  of 
those  who  have  power,  and  the  hearts  of  all  thy  righteous  people  in  this 
land,  to  corne  to  our  help.  Purify  the  motives  from  which  we  act :  let 
no  unworthy  desire  of  praise  spring  up  ;  but  let  this  good  cause  begin 
in  a  hearty  desire  to  serve  thee.  Let  it  be  conducted  under  the  guidance 
of  thy  wisdom,  and  under  the  succour  of  thy  strength.  And  let  it  ter- 
minate in  the  entrance  of  millions  of  our  fellow-men,  now  barbarous, 
ignorant,  and  heathen,  into  thy  Church:  let  innocent  commerce,  civili- 
sation, knowledge,  and  that  which  is  better  than  all,  true  faith  in  Christ, 
be  extended  to  the  barbarous  nations,  to  whom  we  are  as  yet  known  only 
by  our  power  and  our  cruelty. 

"  O  God,  for  the  sake  of  Him  who  healed  the  sick,  comforted  the 
sorrowful,  instructed  the  ignorant,  and  shed  abroad  that  light  and  that 
influence  to  which  we  owe  all  our  present  enjoyments,  and  on  which 
all  our  future  hopes  are  built,  for  His  sake  hear  and  answer  these 
prayers." 

TO  THE  REV.  DR.  PHILIP,  AT  CAPE  TOWX. 

"January  17,  1834. 

"  It  appears  to  me  that  we  ought  to  fix  and  enforce  certain  regulations 
and  laws,  with  regard  to  the  natives  of  all  countries  where  we  make 
settlements.  Those  laws  must  be  based  on  the  principles  of  justice. 
In  order  to  do  justice  we  must  admit — 

"  1st.  That  the  natives  have  a  right  to  their  own  lands. 

"  2ndly.  That  as  our  settlements  must  be  attended  with  some  evils 
to  them,  it  is  our  duty  to  give  them  compensation  for  those  evils,  by 
imparting  the  truths  of  Christianity  and  the  arts  of  civilised  life. 

"  Having  agreed  on  the  points  to  be  aimed  at,  our  next  business  is  to 
ascertain  in  what  degree  we  have  acted,  and  now  act,  in  violation  of 
justice  and  humanity  towards  the  natives — what  encroachments  we  have 
made  on  their  property  —  what  moral  and  physical  evils  we  have  intro- 
duced. Next,  as  to  the  reparation  of  these  oppressions.  Have  we  done 
our  best,  or  have  we  done  anything,  for  the  purpose  of  improving  their 
condition  and  making  them  Christians  ?  or  have  we  resisted  both  the 
one  and  the  other,  and  done  our  best  to  retain  them  in  a  condition  of 
debasement  and  depravity  ?  And,  finally,  how  must  we  now  retrace 
our  steps  ?  and  what  are  the  most  judicious  modes  of  securing  to  them 


1834.]  ADDRESS  TO  THE  KIX(J.  303 

some  portion  of  their  own  land,  and  giving  them  an  equivalent  for  their 
losses  and  sufferings,  by  making  efforts  lor  their  civilisation  and  con- 
version to  Christianity  ?  " 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1834,  he  moved  an  address  to  the  King 
on  the  subject.  In  his  speech  on  this  occasion  he  dwelt  upon 
the  grievances  of  the  commando  system  in  South  Africa.  These 
commandos  greatly  resembled  the  border  forays  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  On  some  plea  of  cattle  having  been  stolen,  the  colo- 
nists used  to  arm  and  make  inroads  into  Caffreland ;  and  after 
despoiling  the  lands  of  the  barbarians,  they  would  march  home 
in  triumph,  usually  with  large  booty.  Thus  in  .a  single  year 
(1819)  as  many  as  52,000  head  of  cattle  were  taken  from  the 
natives ;  and  this  system  of  spoliation  was  continued,  till  the 
colonists  became  persuaded  that  nothing  could  secure  their  own 
existence,  but  the  annihilation  of  their  irritated  foes.* 

The  address,  having  been  seconded  by  Mr.  Spring  Rice  (the 
Colonial  Secretary),  was  passed  unanimously.  It  prayed  His 
Majesty  that  he  would  be  graciously  pleased  to  take  such  measures 
as  should  secure  to  the  natives  the  due  observance  of  justice  and 
the  protection  of  their  rights,  promote  the  spread  of  civilization 
among  them,  and  lead  them  to  the  peaceful  and  voluntary  recep- 
tion of  the  Christian  religion. 

TO  THE  REV.  DR.  PHILIP,  AT  CAPE  TOWN. 

"  Sept.  30,  1834. 

"  I  have  received  and  heartily  thank  you  for  your  long  letter,  dated 
May  6th.  Pray  keep  me  well  informed. 

"  I  have  also  received  the  letters  and  newspapers  about  the  attempted 
renewal  of  the  Vagrant  Act.f  I  think  it  will  «ome  to  nothing,  but  if  so, 

*  The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  description,  given  by  an  eye-witness, 
of  a  commando  sent  out  from  the  Cape  in  1830.  (See  Evidence  before  Par- 
liamentary Committee,  1835.) — "  The  military  were  divided  into  three  or 
four  parties.  *  *  *  We  were  only  aware  of  the  presence  of  the 
other  parties  in  the  country  by  the  smoke  of  the  burning  villages.  One 
Caffre  shouted  to  us  across  a  ravine,  to  ask  why  we  were  burning  his  cot- 
tage; it  seemed  difficult  to  make  a  reply  ;  there  was  silence  throughout  the 
party !" 

t  This  -vagrancy  act  was  an  ingenious  contrivance  of  some  of  the  colonists 
to  reduce  the  Hottentots  once  more  to  slavery :  but  it  was  prevented  from 
becoming  law  by  Mr.  Spring  Rice. 


304  LETTER  TO  DR.  PHILIP.  [CHAP.  xxn. 

your  prompt  interposition  prevented  it.  I  wrote  a  very  strong  letter  to 
Spring  Rice,  our  Colonial  Secretary,  and  my  old  friend  and  coadjutor  on 
Mauritius  and  slavery  matters.  Power  would  make  great  changes 
indeed  if  it  were  to  give  him  any  fellowship  in  feeling  with  West  India 
planters  or  your  boors. 

"  I  have  also  received  your  note  about  the  commando  system.  Upon 
that  I  feel  most  deeply  interested  :  furnish  me  with  facts  ;  give  rne  facts 
about  commandos,  and  I  will,  if  alive  and  in  Parliament,  aim  an  effectual 
blow  at  them.  I  stay  in  Parliament  very  much  against  my  inclination, 
for  no  other  purpose  except  to  watch  the  West  Indies  and  to  protect  the 
aborigines, — chiefly  the  latter.  Did  you  ever  read  Wordsworth's  '  Life 
of  Baxter '  ?  Baxter  says,  '  There  is  nothing  in  the  world  which  lieth 
so  heavy  upon  my  heart  as  the  thought  of  the  miserable  nations  of  the 
earth.  I  cannot  be  affected  so  much  with  the  calamities  of  my  own 
relations,  or  the  land  of  my  nativity,  as  with  the  case  of  the  heathen, 
Mahometan,  and  ignorant  nations  of  the  earth.  No  part  of  my  prayers 
is  so  deeply  serious  as  that  for  the  conversion  of  the  infidel  and  ungodly 
world.'  I  feel,  in  my  poor  way,  somewhat  ol  the  same  kind,  and  desire 
and  pray  that  my  heart  may  be  turned,  and  my  exertions  directed,  to 
the  spread  of  peace,  and  justice,  and  knowledge,  and  Christianity  among 
them.  I  think  England  is  a  deep  offender  in  the  sight  of  God,  for  the 
enormities  she  permits  to  be  practised  upon  these  poor,  ignorant,  defence- 
less creatures;  and,  with  God's  help,  I  hope  to  do  something  for  them 
yet.  I  have  read  with  great  interest  your  letter  to  America.  In  one 
respect  you  are  in  error  :  you  praise  the  American  Colonization  Society. 
It  is  nothing  else  than  an  artifice  of  the  slave-owners,  who  wish  to  divert 
public  attention  from  the  question  of  slavery,  and  to  get  rid  of  the  people 
of  colour.  They  pass  the  most  furious  and  bigoted  laws  against  them. 
For  exam  pie,  they  make  it  death  for  the  second  offence  of  teaching  negroes 
and  people  of  colour  to  read  :  and  thus  forcing  the  people  of  colour  to  quit 
America,  they  are  pleased  to  set  up  for  philanthropists  in  Africa.  With 
this  exception,  I  was  highly  gratified  by  your  letter.  There  is  one  ques- 
tion which  I  beg  you  to  consider.  What  are  the  measures  which  I  should 
aim  at  for  the  benefit  of  countries  where  we  make  settlements  ?  I  have 
thought  of  a  protector,  through  whom  all  bargains  shall  be  made,  that 
they  may  not  be  cheated  out  of  their  land  ;  and  secondly,  that  as  inevit- 
ably we  must  do  them  much  injury  by  spreading  our  diseases,  and  our 
brandy,  and  our  gunpowder  among  them,  we  ought  to  make  them  com- 
pensation by  measures  for  the  diffusion  of  Christianity.  What  more 
shall  I  aim  at  ?  You  know  I  look  to  you  as  my  chief  informant  and 
adviser,  so  pray  help  me.  Let  me  have  every  species  of  information 
about  the  Kat  River  Settlement.  How  does  '  Buxton '  get  on  ?  I  am 
now  going  to  a  Bible  Society  meeting  in  the  neighbourhood,  where  I 


1835.]  PLANS  FOR  THE  YEAR.  305 

shall  make  u  speech  out  of  your  letters  and  the  Kat  River ;  they  do  me 
frequent  and  good  service  at  Bible  and  Missionary  Meetings." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTOX. 

"  Bradpole,  Jan.  4,  1835. 

"  How  sincerely  sorry  I  am  when  I  think  that  it  is  but  too  probable 
that  you  are  at  this  very  time  suffering  from  another  attack  of  those 
dear  eyes !  How  very  very  glad  I  shall  be  if  I  get  to-morrow  an  im- 
proved account ! 

"  Now  for  election  matters. — Bankes  has  resigned.  There  never  was 
anything  like  the  infatuation  of  these  people.  At  this  moment  I  am 
safe,  but  we  must  not  be  too  confident.  Everybody  is  mad,  and  there 
is  no  telling  what  they  may  do  in  their  frenzy.  *  *  *  On  Wednesday  is 
the  nomination.  I  shall  make  a  speech  and  tell  them  my  opinions  with- 
out reserve,  and  those  opinions  will  not  be  gratifying  either  to  Tories 
or  Radicals. 

"  I  came  over  here  yesterday,  and  have  enjoyed  much  the  silence,  the 
divine  silence,  of  the  country.  I  am  now  going  to  meeting  with  Wil- 
liam ;  and  to-morrow  morning  I  return  to  Weymouth." 

At  the  commencement  of  1835  he  thus  refers  in  his  common- 
place book  to  the  coming  year  : — 

"  I  shall  devote  myself  to  the  three  great  subjects  now  on  my 
hands. 

"  1st.  The  completion  of  emancipation  ;  for  much  remains  to  be 
done. 

"  2nd.  The  abolition  of  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  slave-trade. 

"  3rd.  The  just  treatment  of  the  aborigines. 

"  Then  (if  I  am  to  have  these  honourable  duties,  and  shall  be  en- 
abled to  fulfil  them)  I  desire  and  pray  that  I  may  be  returned  at  the 
approaching  election;  but  if,  ()  Lord,  thine  eye  perceives  that  I  shall 
be  turned  away  from  the  path  of  duty,  that  1  shall  pursue  my  own 
pleasure  or  aggrandisement  in  preference  to  thy  service,  then  I  heartily 
pray  thee  to  avert  from  me  the  temptation.  But  in  all  acts,  in  all  coun- 
sels, be  with  me,  and  teach  me  what  I  shall  do  and  say  for  Christ's 
sake." 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  January  18,  1835. 

"  Late  yesterday  evening  I  returned  to  this  sweet  home,  having,  for 
the  seventh  time,  been  elected,  and  having  had  my  prayers  answered. 
I  have  been,  1  thankfully  acknowledge,  guided  and  directed.  May  it 
please  thee,  thou  prayer-hearing  God,  to  make  my  being  in  Parliament 

X 


306  PLANS  FOR  THE  YEAR.  [CHAP.  xxn. 

conducive  to  the  spread  of  thy  name  among  the  heathen,  and  to  the 
interests  of  humanity,  justice,  freedom,  and  real  religion. 

"  My  mind  has  been  a  good  deal  occupied  of  late  with  deep  and 
powerful  impressions  of  the  shortness  of  the  time  which  remains  for  me 
on  earth,  and  with  the  irresistible  reasons  for  dedicating  it  to  God,  and 
through  his  grace  to  the  salvation  of  my  own  soul.  Oh,  my  God,  now 
give  pie  the  spirit  of  wisdom,  that,  the  eyes  of  my  understanding 
being  enlightened,  I  may  know  the  riches  and  the  glory  of  thy 
inheritance.  Is  it  prudent,  is  it  the  part  of  true  wisdom,  to  employ 
this  small  remnant  of  time  in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure,  or  honour,  or 
wealth  ? 

"  If  these  things  could  certainly  be  acquired,  and  if  certainly  they 
would  last  for  ever,  the  tempter  might  have  some  colour  of  reason 
wherewith  to  seduce  my  mind  to  the  belief  that  they  were  really  objects 
worthy  of  my  affections.  But  when  there  is  a  certainty,  not  of  their 
continuance  but  of  their  speedy  flight,  every  reason  and  argument  is 
marshalled  on  the  side  of  dedication  of  heart  to  pleasures,  glories,  riches, 
which  shall  endure  for  ever. 

"  With  the  conviction  then  that  I  stand  almost  on  the  verge  of  eter- 
nity; that  the  days  cannot  be  many  before  the  secret  and  awful  things 
of  futurity  shall  be  unveiled  to  me  ;  that  ere  long  I  must  be  an  inhabitant 
of  the  world  of  spirits,  and  that  then  my  eyes  will  assuredly  see  that 
Christ,  whose  name  I  bear,  royally  attended  with  an  innumerable  com- 
pany of  angels  descending  from  heaven  to  judge  me  and  all  mankind, 
and  that  then  my  ears  will  hear  that  sound  of  the  trumpet  which  shall 
summon  all  flesh  before  His  presence,  and  that  on  me  must  be  pro- 
nounced that  irrevocable  sentence — '  Come  you  blessed,'  or  c  Depart 
you  cursed ' 

"  Seeing  then  that  those  earthly  things  must  be  dissolved,  what 
manner  of  person  ought  I  to  be?  Thou  good  and  gracious  Spirit, 
teach  me  this ;  thou  blessed  Lord  who  instructs  the  ignorant  and 
euccours  the  weak,  do  thou,  in  compassion  to  a  soul  very  ignorant 
and  desperately  weak,  but  nevertheless  with  some  desires  after  a  higher 
and  holier  walk  than  heretofore,  do  thou  in  mercy  be  my  guide  and 
teacher. 

"  Let  me  then  picture  the  character  I  ought  to  be, — a  Christian  in 
faith.  This  is,  beyond  doubt,  the  great  point  to  be  obtained.  *  *  *  * 
What  then  are  the  acts  which  correspond  with  a  true  and  sound 
faith  ? 

"  The  habit  of  prayer. 

"  The  habit  of  watching  the  mercies  of  God,  and  solemnly  returning 
thanks  for  them.  I  am  sometimes  inclined  to  think  that  I  have  boon 
peculiarly  the  child  of  Providence.  At  all  events,  how  much  have 


1835.]  PLANS  FOR  THE  YEAR.  307 

I  to  be  thankful  for,  and  how   poor  and  dull  is  my  abiding  sense  of 
gratitude  ! 

"There  is  something  very  alarming  in  the  question, — '  Were  there 
not  ten  cleansed,  but  where  are  the  nine?'  Oh,  may  I  not  be  of  the 
number  who  '  returned  not  to  give  glory  to  God  !' 

"  The  habit  of  kindness,  courtesy,  tender-heartedness.  How  much 
does  this  appear  the  spirit  which  is  congenial  to  Christianity, 'and 
which  grows  and  flourishes  in  a  Christian  heart !  How  often  is  it 
inculcated !  How  high  is  the  standard  placed  before  us,  forbearing  one 
another  and  forgiving  one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath 
forgiven  you  ! 

"  The  habit  of  doing  and  seeking  to  do  all  the  good  in  my  power. 
God  has  given  me  a  portion  of  property,  station,  reputation,  intellectual 
energy.  Such  as  they  are,  God  gave  them,  and  to  his  service  must  the 
influence  they  give  be  dedicated. 

"  The  habit  of  dedicating  the  Sabbath  to  its  peculiar  duties,  not 
wasting  its  precious  hours,  not  worshipping  God  with  a  wandering  and 
unsteady  mind,  not  stealing  its  moments  for  secular  purposes. 

"  The  habit  of  calling  myself  to  account  for  the  use  I  make  of  my 
money,  my  time,  my  powers.  *  *  On  Wednesday  next  I  go  to  attend 
my  duties  in  Parliament — what  are  my  prayers?  I  have  now  been 
wandering  about  the  garden  ;  my  last  Sabbath's  walk  this  season,  it  may 
be  the  last  I  shall  ever  take,  and  I  have  been  pouring  forth  my  heart  in 
prayer.  I  have  prayed  for  myself,  and  my  prayer  is  that  thou,  O  Lord, 
wouldest  enable  me  to  give  thee  my  heart.  Constrain  rue  to  dedicate 
myself,  body,  mind,  and  soul,  fortune,  talents,  influence,  and  energy,  to 
thy  service,  and  this  without  reserve.  If  I  am  convinced  in  sober  judg- 
ment that  nothing  can  be  so  wise,  so  right,  and  so  happy,  as  this  sur- 
render of  myself  to  thee,  enable  me  to  act  in  all  things  as  one  who  is 
resolved  to  make  that  my  one  absorbing  aim  ;  and  as  without  Christ  I  can 
do  nothing,  do  thou  work  this  change  in  my  heart.  Do  thou  fortify  my 
resolutions,  and  do  thou  give  me  the  ability  to  offer  this  willing  and 
reasonable  sacrifice.  As  to  all  my  affairs,  public  and  private,  I  ask  of 
thee  the  fulfilment  of  this  rich  promise ; — '  I  will  instruct  thee  and 
teach  thee  in  the  way  which  thou  shalt  go,  I  will  guide  thee  with  mine 
eye.' 

"  Let  this  guidance  be  with  me  especially  in  my  Parliamentary 
duties ;  in  the  cause  of  the  natives,  in  the  slave-trade,  in  the  religious 
instruction  of  the  negroes,  in  dealing  with  the  Church. 

"  In  these  great  questions  do  thou  be  my  teacher,  and  make  me  to 
attend  rather  to  the  small  voice  behind  me,  saying,  '  This  is  the  way, 
walk  thou  in  it,'  than  to  the  bias  of  party  or  the  desire  of  favour  in  the 
eyes  of  man. 

x  2 


308  CAFFRE  WAR.  [CHAP,  xxn 

"  ()  Lord,  be  with  the  rulers  of  the  nation,  making  them  to  do  that 
which  shall  conduce  to  the  peace  and  welfare  of  the  nation,  and  to  thy 
glory. 

"  Be  with  the  emancipated  negroes  in  our  colonies,  pour  out  upon  their 
ministers  and  upon  them  that  living  water  which  is  better  than  liberty 
or  wealth. 

"  Oh,  my  God,  hear  and  answer  these  prayers  for  Christ's  sake." 

At  the  election  of  January  1835  he  stated  to  his  constituents 
that  his  labours  should  be  devoted  to  the  objects  above  men- 
tioned ;  and  in  fact  they  formed  his  principal  occupation  through- 
out the  year.  The  grievous  accounts  of  the  Caffre  war  turned 
his  attention  more  especially  to  the  state  of  the  natives  in  the 
colonies.  The  depredations  of  the  Caffres  had  led  to  severe 
retaliations  on  the  part  of  the  colonists,  which  ended  in  open  war 
and  the  complete  overthrow  of  the  Caffres. 

In  a  despatch  to  Lord  Glenelg,  who  had  succeeded  Mr.  Spring 
Rice,  Sir  Benjamin  D'Urban  announces  that — 

"  4000  Caffre  warriors  have  been  slaughtered  ;  60,000  head  of 
cattle  and  almost  all  their  goats  captured  ;  their  country  (now  called 
the  Adelaide  territory)  is  taken  from  them  ;  their  habitations  are  every- 
where destroyed,  and  their  gardens  and  corn-fields  laid  waste."* 

Mr.  Buxton  obtained  a  Parliamentary  committee  to  inquire 
into  this  war,  as  well  as  into  the  general  treatment  of  the  abori- 
ginal nations  bordering  on  our  settlements. 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON. 

"  London,  Aug.  8. 

"  I  went  yesterday  into  the  city  to  the  Alliance,  to  the  Anti-slavery 
Society,  to  the  Aborigines'  Committee,  and  to  a  meeting  at  Lushington's 
about  the  Mauritius.  The  variety  and  interest  of  these  subjects,  espe- 
cially the  two  last,  animated  me. 

"  We  had  a  pleasant  journey  down  to  Coggeshall,  where  Edward, 
Edmund,  Abraham  Plastow,  and  myself  took  a  walk  of  an  hour  and  a 
half,  and  very  interesting  it  was  to  me  and  Abraham  recounting  old 
events.  It  is  strange  that,  having  hardly  been  at  Coggeshall  since  I 
was  a  boy,  of  all  the  numbers  of  persons  associated  in  my  recollection 


*  November,  1835. 


1835.]  TREATMENT  OF  NATIVES.  309 

only  my  uncle  and  Abraham  remained  as  my  seniors.  I  was  all  but  the 
oldest  of  the  party.  Abraham,  in  whom  I  could  remember  nothing  but 
that  he  was  my  tutor,  was  a  little  more  reverential  than  suited  my  recol- 
lections ;  but  I  was  greatly  pleased  to  meet  that  most  honest,  brave, 
facetious,  old  associate." 

When  the  session  closed  Mr.  Buxton  occupied  himself  in 
a  careful  investigation  of  the  evils  of  the  system  hitherto 
pursued  towards  the  native  tribes,  and  of  the  remedies  to  be 
applied. 

In  commencing  these  inquiries  he  as  usual  summoned  to  his 
aid  the  members  of  his  family  circle,  especially  those  at  oS^orth- 
repps  Cottage,  whom  he  employed  to  make  extracts  from  and 
abstracts  of  those  documents  which  related  to  the  tribes  of  South 
Africa. 

TO  HIS  SISTER,  MISS  S.  M.  BUXTON,  AT  NORTHREPPS  COTTAGE. 

"Earlham,  Sept.  28,  1835. 

"  I  hope  you  read  Anna  Gurney  my  letter  about  her  preparing  an 
epitome  of  Dr.  Philip's  letters.  I  am  thus  hard-hearted  in  taxing  her 
strength,  because  I  do  believe  that  an  able  digest  of  these  letters,  stick- 
ing close  to  the  text,  might  save  a  nation  of  100,000  beings  and  several 
flourishing  missions  from  destruction.  It  is  a  cause  well  worth  an  effort. 
I  gave  our  new  Colonial  Secretary  a  disquisition  to  my  heart's  content  on 
the  treatment  of  savages,  the  death  of  Hintza,  the  atrocities  of  white 
men,  and  above  all,  on  the  responsibilities  of  a  Secretary  of  State ;  and 
I  gave  him  to  understand  that  I  knew  there  was  a  corner  in  the  next 
world  hotter  than  the  rest  for  such  of  them  as  tolerate  the  abominations 
which  we  practise  abroad.  I  feel  happy  that  I  let  loose  my  mind,  but 
I  am  afraid  Ellis  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  was  almost  shocked 
at  the  recklessness  of  his  lordship's  feelings  with  which  I  spoke.  I 
believe,  however,  that  Lord  Glenelg  feels  both  soundly  and  warmly  on 
the  subject." 

TO  ZACHARY  MACAULAY,  ESQ. 

"Northrepps  Hall,  Oct.  1835. 

"  I  am  deeply  interested  about  the  savages,  particularly  the  Caffres. 
Oh !  we  Englishmen  are,  by  our  own  account,  fine  fellows  at  home ! 
Who  among  us  doubts  that  we  surpass  the  world  in  religion,  justice, 
knowledge,  refinement,  and  practical  honesty  ?  but  such  a  set  of  mis- 


310  LETTER  TO  LORD  GLENELG.  [CHAP.  XXTI. 

creants  and  wolves  as  we  prove  when  we  escape  from  the  range  of  the 
laws,  the  earth  does  not  contain." 

When  the  statement  of  the  South  African  case  had  been  pre- 
pared he  communicated  it  to  Lord  Glenelg,  accompanied  by  the 
following  letter : — 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  Oct.  10,  1835. 

"  My  dear  Lord, — I  send  you  by  the  mail  to-morrow  various  docu- 
ments relative  to  the  commando  system,  the  Caffre  inroad,  and  Hintza's 
death.  I  think  the  papers  sent  establish — 

"  1st.  That  the  colonists,  or  at  least  some  of  them,  have  long  been 
actuated  by  an  eager  desire  to  get  possession  of  the  Caffre  territory. 

"  2ndly.  That  the  commando  system  has  been  the  real  cause  of  the 
war. 

"  3rdly.  That  facts  are  stated  relative  to  the  death  of  Hintza,  which, 
if  true,  throw  a  deep  reflection  on  the  colonial  authorities,  and  which 
demand  a  close  inquiry. 

"I  cannot  forbear  adding,  that  I  am  persuaded  the  future  peace  of 
the  colony,  and  the  life  or  death  of  many  thousands  of  human  beings, 
depend  upon  your  decision.  That,  you  may  be  guided  to  a  righteous 
one,  and  that  you  may  stand  between  the  oppressor  and  his  prey,  is  my 
heartfelt  desire  and  prayer.  Believe  me,  my  dear  Lord,  with  every  sen- 
timent of  respect, 

"  Your  faithful  servant, 

"  T.   FOWELL  BUXTON." 

Shortly  after  this  he  was  exceedingly  gratified  at  finding  that 
the  subject  had  been  thoroughly  investigated  by  Lord  Glenelg, 
and  that  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Adelaide  territory 
had  been  unjustly  taken  away  from  the  Caffre  people.  Accord- 
ingly, with  a  regard  for  justice  as  rare  as  it  was  noble,  his  lord- 
ship determined  not  to  acquiesce  in  our  usurpation  of  the  terri- 
tory, but  to  restore  it  to  its  rightful  possessors. 

"  Lord  Glenelg,"  says  Mr.  Buxton  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Macau- 
lay,  "  has  sent  a  most  noble  despatch  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
restoring  the  territory  we  lately  stole,  to  the  Caffres,  and  laying 
down  the  soundest  principles  with  respect  to  future  intercourse 
witli  them."  He  was  greatly  pleased  at  finding  that  the  Govern- 
ment had  agreed  to  place  protectors  of  the  aborigines  in  every 
colony  where  the  English  came  in  contact  with  them,  and  he 
writes — 


1835.]  RESTORATION  OF  THE  CAFFRES.  311 

"  Many  other  things  did  I  hear  equally  delightful.  I  lay  awake 
almost  all  last  night  from  an  exuberance  of  gratification  and  thankful- 
ness ;  the  image  rising  before  me  of  the  hunted  people  restored  to  their 
land ;  of  Macomo,  now  so  dejected,  soon  amazed  with  unlooked-for 
relief. 

"  How  glad  am  I,"  he  remarks  in  December  1835,  "  that  I  did 
not  give  way  to  the  difficulties  of  obtaining  a  committee !  I  was  too 
near  letting  it  be  postponed  to  another  session.  The  events  of  the 
war,  liintza's  death,  and  the  clamours  of  the  settlers  for  permission 
once  more  to  spoil  these  '  irreclaimable  savages,'  have  called  the  at- 
tention of  the  Government  to  our  evidence,  and,  coming  at  the  very 
nick  of  time,  I  have  reason  to  know  it  affected  the  decision  of  the 
question." 

When  the  news  arrived  that  the  restoration  of  the  Caffres  to 
their  own  lauds  in  the  Adelaide  territory  had  been  effected,  he 
thus  conveyed  it  to  Miss  Gurney  of  Northrepps  Cottage  :  * — 

"  I  have  to  tell  you  a  piece  of  news,  which  has  made  me  sing  ever 
since  I  heard  it.  You,  of  all  people,  ought  to  have  known  it  two  or 
three  days  ago,  and  should,  if  I  had  not  been  too  busy  to  write 
on  Wednesday,  and  too  desperately  tired  on  Thursday.  Well,  what 
is  it?  It  is  life  itself,  and  liberty,  and  lands  and  tenements  to  a 
whole  nation. 

"It  is  nothing  short  of  this — the  hand  of  the  proud  oppressor  in 
Africa  has  been,  under  Providence,  arrested,  and  a  whole  nation,  doomed 
to  ruin,  exile,  and  death,  has  been  delivered  and  restored  to  its  rights. 
On  a  given  day  the  drum  was  beat  in  the  front  of  Tzatzoe's  house,  and 
the  troops  were  marched  directly  back  again  to  the  British  territory,  and 
the  '  fertile  and  beautiful  Adelaide '  was  once  more  Caft'reland.  Only 
think  how  delighted  must  our  savage  friends  be,  and  with  what  feelings 
must  they  have  viewed  our  retreating  army !  Surely  we  must  make  a 
party,  and  pay  King  Macomo  a  visit.  This  is,  indeed,  a  noble  victory 
of  right  over  might." 

On  the  re-appointment  of  the  Aborigines'  Committee  in  1836, 
Dr.  Philip  brought  over  to  England  Tzatzoe,  the  Caffre  chief 
alluded  to  above,  and  Andrew  Stoffles,  a  Hottentot,  to  be 
examined  before  it.  As  a  matter  of  course,  Mr.  Buxton  invited 
them  to  his  house,  and  the  following  description  j  gives  an  ac- 

*  March  18,  1837.  t  Letter  from  Mrs.  E-  N.  Buxton. 


312  TZATZOE  AND  STOFFLES.  [CHAP.  xxn. 

count  of  the  evening  which  these  children  of  the  desert  spent 
with  him  :  — 

"  Dr.  Philip  dined  here  yesterday  with  his  two  African  proteges, 
Tzatzoe*  and  Stoffles,  Mr.  Read,  who  had  married  a  Caff're  woman,  and 
his  half  Caffre  son,  being  also  of  the  party.  Tzatzoe  was  dressed  in 
fanciful  English  attire,  with  a  gold-laced  coat,  something  like  a  naval 
officer.  He  is  rather  a  fine-looking,  well-made  man,  but  his  hair  is  like 
a  carpet.  Both  he  and  Stoffles  behaved  in  a  perfectly  refined  and  gen- 
tlemanly manner.  James  Read  acted  as  interpreter ;  he  looks  more  like 
a  Caffre  than  an  Englishman  y  he  is  full  of  animation,  and  very  clever 
and  observing.  He  sat  by  Tzatzoe  at  dinner  and  kept  up  the  conver- 
sation capitally.  Tzatzoe  was  asked  what  struck  them  most  in  England  ? 
He  said,  '  First;  the  peace,  no  fighting,  all  looking  "  kind  ;"  secondly, 
no  beggars  ;  everybody  had  their  own  business  and  wanted  nothing  of 
other  men,  but  all  looked  comfortable  and  happy  ;  thirdly,  no  drunkards, 
no  fighting  about  the  streets.'  He  was  then  asked,  what  he  could  men- 
tion to  our  discredit.  He  hesitated  at  first,  but  then  boldly  said  we 
abused  our  Sabbaths ;  he  was  shocked  to  see  the  carnages  about,  and 
people  selling  in  the  streets  ;  he  admired  the  horses,  but  could  not  think 
what  the  donkeys  had  done  to  merit  such  different  treatment;  and  as  to 
the  dogs,  he  thought  it  a  most  wicked  thing  '  to  make  them  work  like 
Hottentots.'  He  pleased  my  father  very  much  by  saying,  that  if  it  had 
not  been  for  his  labours  in  the  committee,  his  nation  must  have  been 
entirely  extirpated.  He  told  us,  so  great  was  the  gratitude  felt  towards 
him,  that  in  most  of  the  Christian  settlements  about  the  Kat  River 
they  held  a  regular  meeting  every  Wednesday  evening  to  pray  for  Mr. 
Buxton,  Dr.  Philip,  and  Mr.  Fairbairn.  When  Tzatzoe  spoke  in  Caffre, 
Stoffles  translated  it  into  Dutch  for  Mr.  Read.  Doing  this  gradually 
roused  up  Stoffles  himself,  and  now  when  we  applied  to  him  on  the  sub- 
ject of  infant  schools  he  lighted  up  in  a  most  extraordinary  way,  his 
heavy  face  beamed  with  life  and  pleasure,  and  he  was  all  action  and 
animation.  Dr.  Philip  says,  that  in  oratory  he  is  quite  the  Lord 
Brougham  of  his  country;  *  *  *  After  dinner  they  sang  to  us  : 
first,  the  three  together  a  hymn  in  Dutch,  then  Tzatzoe  and  Read  in 
Caffre,  and  then  Stoffles  alone  sang  a  war  song  in  Hottentot.  It  had  a 
most  extraordinary  effect.  Ices  then  came  round.  The  poor  men  had 
seen  none  before,  and  the  grimaces  made  at  the  first  mouthful  are  not  to 
be  told.  They  could  not  eat  more,  but  laughed  heartily. 


*  A  portrait  of  Tzatzoe  will  be  found  in  Prichard's  Nat.  Hist,  of  Man, 
3rd  ed.,  p.  314. 


1835.]  loUEIGN  SLAVE-TRADE.  313 

"  When  they  were  about  to  go  away  they  commanded  silence,  and 
Stoffles  rose  formally,  with  Read  to  interpret,  and  made  a  very  good 
speech,  returning  thanks  to  his  host.  '  I  thank  God,'  he  said,  '  that  my 
life  has  been  spared  long  enough  to  come  to  England,  and  that  Buxton's 
life  has  been  spared  long  enough  also  for  me  to  see  him.  I  have  long 
desired  nothing  so  much,  but  never  thought  I  should  have  that  happi- 
ness. I  hope  Buxton  will  live  much  longer  and  continue  to  help  the 
oppressed,  and  that  he  will  never  cease  to  hold  his  hand  over  my  nation.' 
lie  thanked  him  heartily  on  behalf  of  all  the  Hottentots  for  his  labours 
for  them.  Tzatzoc  then  rose  and  made  a  similar  speech,  expressing  him- 
self most  warmly.  My  father  then  thanked  them  for  their  good  wishes, 
and  said  he  hoped  their  nation  would  go  on  improving,  and  especially 
that  religion  would  increase  among  them,  that  they  would  be  firm  to 
their  God  and  Saviour,  for  that  was  the  only  path  to  peace,  to  happi- 
ness, and  to  Heaven." 

Even  while  the  discussions  on  British  slavery  had  been 
pending,  Mr.  Buxton's  thoughts  were  often  directed  to  the 
subject  of  the  slave-trade,  as  conducted  by  foreign  nations, 
between  the  coast  of  Africa  and  the  slave  states  of  America 
and  Cuba.  So  long  before  as  1832  Mr.  Wilberforce  had  thus 
written  to  him  : — 

"  Happening  lately  to  have  been  led  into  some  lucubrations  on  the 
slave-trade,  I  was  gradually  excited  into  such  an  internal  heat,  that  were 
I  not  to  attempt  to  lessen  the  intensity  of  the  flame  by  imparting  a  mea- 
sure of  it  to  you,  I  should  almost  become  the  victim  of  my  own  exces- 
sive inflammation.  Happily,  I  am  persuaded  I  need  use  no  laborious 
exertions  to  excite  your  warmth.  Let  me  beg  you,  unless  you  happen 
to  have  recently  looked  into  this  subject,  do  not  suppose  yourself  to  know 
it,  but  do  review  your  inquiry  and  consideration,  and  you  will  be  as 
ready  to  burst  into  aflame  as  I  am.  I  feel,  and  shall  feel,  this  affair  the 
more,  because  I  myself  am  not  guiltless.  I  myself  ought  to  have  stirred 
in  it  more  than  I  did  before  I  left  the  House  of  Commons  ;  and  now  that 
I  am  there  no  longer,  you  I  consider  as  my  heir-at-law  ;  and  I  really 
believe,  if  you  cannot  get  Government  to  concede  to  your  wishes,  you 
might  carry  the  measure  in  the  House  of  Commons.  Farewell !  may 
the  blessing  of  God  be  with  you  and  yours !" 

But  important  as  Mr.  Buxton  felt  this  subject  to  be,  he  could 
not  enter  upon  it  while  his  time  and  strength  were  engaged  in 
the  contest  with  the  more  immediate  evil  of  British  slavery. 
Now,  however,  lie  was  able  to  examine  it  more  closely. 


314  FOREIGN  SLAVE-TRADE.  [CHAP.  XXH. 

"Bellfield,  April  29,  1835. 

"  I  had  a  pleasant  journey,  and  the  coach  to  myself,  so  I  had  plenty 
of  time  for  both  reading  and  reflection.  I  shall  spend  much  of  my 
time  over  the  slave-trade  question,  in  which  I  feel  the  deepest  interest, 
and  perhaps  a  quiet  day  here  may  be  useful.  I  am  very  fond  of  this 
garden  as  a  study,  it  is  so  lonely." 

A  day  later  he  continues : — 

"  I  am  now  going  to  wander  about  these  charming  walks  with  the 
slave-trade  question  on  my  mind.  Then  my  uncle  is  to  drive  me 
with  the  four  ponies.  On  Saturday  I  shall,  I  doubt  not,  take  my  place 
inside  the  Magnet,  and  after  a  pleasant  ride,  fruitful  in  meditation, 
have  the  great  pleasure  of  getting  home  again.  *  *  *  The  constant  sub- 
ject of  my  wondering  gratitude  is,  that  we  have  so  much  to  be  thankful 
for.  Now  for  the  garden." 

TO  MISS  GURNEY,  OF  NORTHREPPS  COTTAGE. 

"  54,  Devonshire  Street,  May  6,  1835. 

"  I  hope  to  bring  forward  the  slave-trade  question  next  Tuesday. 
I  have  abundance  of  facts,  but  the  House  of  Commons  '  careth  for 
none  of  these  things,'  and  I  care  very  little  for  any  political  things, 
these  excepted.  I  went  to  the  Missionary  Meeting  yesterday,  and 
made  a  speech,  which  I  thought  vastly  fine,  but  I  was  singular  in  that 
opinion.  The  clergy  are  desperately  sulky  with  me  for  my  Church 
speech." 

On  the  12th  of  May,  1835,  Mr.  Buxton  laid  the  results  of  his 
investigation  before  Parliament.  He  proved  that  though,  at  the 
Congress  of  Vienna,  Spain  and  Portugal  had  received  more  than 
a  million  of  money  from  England,  on  engaging  to  give  up  their 
traffic  in  men,  yet  that  they  were  still  carrying  it  on  to  as  great 
an  extent  as  ever  ;  no  less  than  264  vessels,  avowedly  engaged 
in  the  slave-trade,  having  sailed  from  the  single  port  of  Havannah 
between  January  1,  1827,  and  October  30,  1833 — this  being  but 
a  small  part  of  that  detestable  commerce.  He  moved  for  an 
address,  suggesting  the  consolidation  of  all  the  treaties  on  this 
subject  with  various  powers  into  one  great  league,  which  was 
to  contain,  amongst  other  clauses,  a  proposal  for  extending  the 
right  of  search,  for  giving  the  right  of  seizure  in  the  case  of 
vessels  equipped  for  the  slave-trade,  though  not  actually  having 
slaves  on  board,  and  for  declaring  the  trade  in  slaves  to  be 
piracy.  This  address  was  agreed  to. 


1835.]  FOREIGN  SLAVE-TRADE.  315 

•'  I  now  feel,"  he  said  on  the  following  day,  "  as  if  the  session 
was  over.  Let  me  see,  what  is  there  more  for  me  to  do  ?  There 
is  the  Apprenticeship,  16th  June ;  Aborigines,  14th  July ; 
Irish  Education  ;  and  I  must  have  another  little  touch  at  the 
Church,  which  they  have  so  vilified  me  about." 

Except  that  from  time  to  time  he  brought  the  subject  before 
the  House,  no  further  step  could  be  taken  for  the  present  upon  the 
slave  question ;  but  it  continued  to  occupy  his  thoughts,  and  to 
be  a  source  of  continual  solicitude. 


3 If.  GOOD  ACCOUNTS  FROM  [CHAP.  xxni. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
1835,  1836. 

Accounts  from  the  West  Indies  —  Motion  for  Committee  of  Inquiry  —  Cor- 
respondence—  Writings,  January,  1836  —  Committee  on  Apprenticeship, 
March,  1836  —  Letters  —  Letter  from  Mr.  Johnston  —  Irish  Church 
Questions  —  Speech  on  Irish  Tithe  Bill,  June,  1836. 

THE  best  news  continued  to  arrive  from  the  "West  Indies  of  the 
industry  and  excellent  behaviour  of  the  negroes,  during  the 
period  to  which  the  preceding  chapter  refers.  Crime  had  rapidly 
diminished ;  marriages  had  considerably  increased  ;  education 
and  religion  were  progressing.  "  The  accounts  from  the  "West 
Indies  are  capital,"  writes  Mr.  Buxton,  March  7,  1835  ;  "  this 
puts  me  into  excellent  spirits.  The  truth  is,  my  spirits  rise  or 
fall  according  to  the  intelligence  from  that  quarter." 

TO  HIS  SISTER,  MISS  BUXTOX,  NORTHREPPS  COTTAGE. 

"House  of  Commons,  March  16,  1835. 

"  I  must  give  you  a  taste  of  the  good  news  which  I  have  received 
within  this  hour.  Lord  Aberdeen  said  yesterday  that  everything  was 
going  on  marvellously  well  in  the  West  Indies.  The  negroes  quiet, 
dutiful,  diligent.  '  It  is  quite  amazing,  it  is  contrary  to  reason,  it 
cannot  be  accounted  for,  but  so  it  is ! '  Just  now  Stanley  came  over  to 
me,  saying  he  had  a  letter  from  Lord  Sligo  *  to-day,  dated  the  29th 
January.  He  read  me  the  greater  part  of  it,  and  most  gratifying  it 
was.  The  Christmas  holidays  had  gone  off  more  quietly  than  for 
many  years.  No  case  of  riot  had  been  reported,  and  the  negroes  had 
all  returned  to  their  work  in  good  humour.  The  produce  of  the  crop 
sent  to  England  would  be  a  good  average  one.  Lord  Sligo  had  re- 
called all  his  troops  and  vessels  (which  had  gone  out  to  quell  possible 
disturbances),  because  everything  was  perfectly  quiet.  '  In  s-hort,'  said 
Stanley,  '  it  is  impossible  that  matters  can  be  better  than  in  the  focus 


*  Then  governor  of  Jamaica. 


1835.]  THE  WEST  INDIES.  317 

of  danger — Jamaica;  except  it  be/  he  added,  'in  Antigua.'  Is  not 
that  something  like  good  news  ?  It  makes  me  two  inches  higher  for 
pride." 

TO  ZACHAEY  MACATJLAY,  ESQ. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  1835. 

"  Now  as  to  Jamaica,  I  send  you  copies  of  Lord  Sligo's  letters.  It 
is  curious  that  I  have  before  me  at  this  moment  letters  from  him  and 
Lord  Mulgrave,  in  which  they  unite  in  saying,  that  so  far  from  having 
exaggerated,  we  have  never  told  a  tithe  of  the  horrors  of  slavery. 
What  an  honour,  and  what  a  privilege,  to  have  had  part  in  over- 
turning such  an  abomination  ! " 

The  following  is  one  of  the  letters  from  Lord  Sligo,  referred 
to  above : — 

TO  T.  FOWELL  BUXTOX,  ESQ. 

"  Mansfield  Street,  8th  April. 

"  My  dear  Sir, — In  reply  to  your  inquiries,  whether  my  opinions  on 
slavery  had  undergone  any  change  while  I  was  in  Jamaica,  I  beg  to  say, 
that  when  I  went  out  there  I  thought  that  the  stories  of  the  cruelties 
of  the  slave-owners,  disseminated  by  your  society,  were  merely  the 
emanations  of  enthusiastic  and  humane  persons  ;  rather  a  caricature  than 
a  faithful  representation  of  what  actually  did  take  place.  Before,  how- 
ever, I  had  been  very  long  in  Jamaica,  I  had  reason  to  think  that  the 
real  state  of  the  case  had  been  far  understated,  and  that,  I  am  quite 
convinced,  was  the  fact.  I  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  emancipation 
before  I  went  out.  but  after  being  there  a  short  time  I  was  shocked 
at  ever  having  held  different  opinions. 

"  My  dear  Sir,  most  truly  yours, 

"  SJUGO." 

TO  LORD  SUFFIELD. 

"March,  1835. 

"  The  news  from  every  part  of  the  slave  colonies  is  most  excellent. 
I  hear  this  from  a  variety  of  quarters— friends,  enemies,  colonial  bishops, 
and  the  Secretary  of  State.  I  saw  a  letter  from  the  Bishop  of  Jamaica 
to  the  Bishop  of  London,  saying  everything  that  we  used  to  say  ;  I 
recollect  one  expression — '  the  industry  of  the  negroes  when  working 
for  wacres  has  so  entirely  belied  the  apprehensions  of  the  planters  here, 
that  I  have  not  a  doubt  of  the  entire  success  of  the  emancipation 
measure.'  In  short,  we  have  every  reason  to  be  happy  and  to  be 
thankful." 


318  DEATH  OF  LORD  SUFFIELD.  [CHAP.  xxnr. 

This  was  one  of  the  last  letters  addressed  by  Mr.  Buxton  to 
his  excellent  coadjutor  and  friend.  Lord  Suffield  was  thrown 
from  his  horse  on  the  30th  of  June,  1835,  and  died  a  few  days 
afterwards  from  the  injuries  he  had  received.  "  Every  day 
since  the  event  happened,"  writes  Mr.  Buxton,  "  I  have  felt 
more  and  more  strongly  what  a  calamity  it  is,  and  what  a  loss 
we  have  all  sustained." 

It  was  indeed  a  time  when  Lord  Suffield's  co-operation  was 
particularly  missed.  The  favourable  accounts  from  the  West 
Indies  were  chequered  by  intelligence  of  the  occasional  ill- 
treatment  of  the  apprentices  by  their  masters,  who  could  not 
divest  themselves  of  the  habits  formed  under  the  system  of 
slavery. 

On  the  19th  of  June  Mr.  Buxton  moved  for  a  select  com- 
mittee to  inquire  whether  the  conditions  on  which  the  twenty 
millions  had  been  granted,  for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  had  been 
complied  with ;  but  upon  receiving  an  assurance  from  the 
Government  that  the  most  vigilant  measures  had  been  taken, 
and  would  continue  to  be  taken,  on  behalf  of  the  newly  eman- 
cipated people,  he  consented  to  withdraw  his  motion. 

For  so  doing  he  was  severely  blamed  by  some  of  the  more 
vehement  abolitionists.  He  thus  replies  to  one  of  those  who  had 
expressed  himself  with  great  warmth  on  the  subject : — 

"September  11,  1835. 

"  You  think  it  right  to  say  that  you  could  see  no  reason  for  my  with- 
drawing my  motion,  except  it  was  a  wish  to  please  the  ministers.  I  am 
conscious  of  a  thousand  defects  in  the  management  of  our  great  question, 
but  I  do  not  and  cannot  charge  myself  with  having  at  any  time  sacri- 
ficed one  iota  of  our  cause  to  please  any  set  of  men.  You  add,  that  '  I 
should  have  gained  public  confidence  by  pressing  my  motion  to  a  division.' 
I  hope  you  do  not  do  me  the  injustice  to  suppose  that  a  momentary 
popularity  with  you,  or  with  those  worthy  and  faithful  men  who  think 
with  you,  would  be  bait  enough  to  allure  me  to  do  that  which  I  thought 
likely  to  prejudice  the  cause  or  impair  the  prospects  of  the  negro.  I 
should  be  srill  more  unworthy  than  I  am  to  be  the  advocate  of  that 
afflicted  and  oppressed  race,  if  I  were  to  be  biassed  by  any  such  con- 
siderations;  or  if  I  sacrificed  opinions,  formed  deliberately,  with  the 
whole  facts  before  me,  and  with  an  earnest  desire  to  be  directed  aright, 
to  the  wishes  of  friends,  or  foes,  or  ministers  of  the  Crown. 


1835.]  LETTERS  ON  THE  WEST  INDIES.  319 

"  I  have  thought  it  right  to  enter  thus  at  length  into  my  views,  that 
you  may  not  be  prevented  from  taking  any  steps  in  order  to  secure  a 
division,  when  the  subject  comes  to  be  debated  in  Parliament.  Think 
of  mo  as  you  please ;  I  think  you  an  honest  man,  a  true  friend  to  the 
negro,  a  faithful  advocate  of  freedom  ;  but  I  give  you  this  unequivocal 
warning,  that  I  never  will  take  your  advice  as  to  my  conduct  on  these 
questions,  when  I  think  that  advice  likely  to  be  disastrous  to  those  for 
whom  we  feel  an  equal  concern. 

"  You  are  quite  at  liberty  to  show  this  to  anybody,  or  to  publish  it 
if  you  please." 

A  day  or  two  later  he  thus  writes  to  Mr.  Macaulay  : — 

"  The  fact  is,  my  apprehensions  lie  in  a  direction  different  from  the 
apprenticeship.  The  planters  will,  I  think,  try  for  a  vagrancy  law, 
which  will  be  slavery  in  reality,  and  for  a  permanence.  Sorry  should 
I  be  that  by  our  want  of  support  about  the  apprenticeship,  the  Govern- 
ment should  be  led  to  suppose  that  we  could  not  make  a  good  fight 
against  a  vagrancy  law.  Is  it  not  dangerous,  then,  to  reveal  our 
weakness  ?  or,  rather,  is  it  not  dangerous  to  go  to  battle  on  a  question 
where  we  have  no  chance  of  success  ?  Some  of  our  warm  friends  write 
in  newspapers  and  periodicals  as  if  they  believed  that  I  should  hesitate, 
because  I  did  not  like  to  offend  the  Government.  I  flatter  myself  you 
know  that  neither  that,  nor  any  personal  consideration,  should  tempt 
me  to  betray  the  cause  of  our  poor  clients." 

During  this  autumn  the  Rev.  Mr.  Trew  left  England  for  the 
"West  Indies,  taking  out  with  him  the  agents  selected  for  school- 
masters. This  was  an  occasion  of  deep  interest  to  Mr.  Buxton. 

TO  THE  REV.  J.  M.  TREW. 

"  Northrepps,  Dec.  1835. 

"  Many  thanks  for  your  letter  just  received.  Depend  on  my  disposi- 
tion to  '  strengthen  your  hands,  and  to  make  all  reasonable  allowances.' 
The  truth  is,  I  feel  very  grateful  to  you  for  going  out,  and  consider  it 
my  duty  to  do  all  to  make  your  labours  as  light  and  as  pleasant  to  you 
as  possible.  *  *  *  And  now  J  wish  you  God  speed.  In  going  you 
make  a  noble  sacrifice.  The  sacrifice  of  your  living,  and  the  derange- 
ment of  your  family ;  the  opposition  and  persecution  you  will  have  to 
encounter,  and  many  other  similar  things  you  have  to  surrender  or  to 
endure ;  but  I  trust  that  God's  blessing  will  go  with  you,  remain  with 
you,  remove  difficulties,  and  crown  you  with  success  and  with  re- 
joicing." 


320  REFLECTIONS.  [CHAP.  xxm. 

On  Jan.  1,  1836,  he  thus  speaks  of  the  end  of  one,  the  begin- 
ning of  another  year. 

"  What  mercies  has  the  past  year  produced,  and  what  events  may  the 
next  unfold  !  My  prayer  at  the  beginning  of  1835  was  for  myself,  that 
I  might  give  God  my  heart ;  that  in  matters  public  and  private  He 
would  instruct  me  in  the  right  way,  especially  in  slave  questions,  the 
cause  of  natives,  slave-trade,  instruction  of  negroes,  and  Church  legis- 
lation. 

"  O  God,  grant  that  we  may  each  of  us  be  branches  of  the  living 
vine,  that  are  fed  and  nourished  from  the  sacred  stem  ;  that  we  may 
bear  fruit,  and  much  fruit.  I  thank  thee,  O  Lord,  that  I  know  there 
is  none  other  source  of  profit  to  my  own  soul,  or  of  usefulness  to  others, 
save  through  Christ.  If  I  abide  in  Him,  I  shall  be  enabled  to  bring 
forth  rich  clusters  of  heavenly  fruit ;  if  not,  a  withered  and  unprofitable 
branch  am  I.  Grant  then,  O  Father,  to  thy  weak,  poor,  most  unworthy 
servant,  that  I  may  be  the  true  servant  of  the  Lord,  that  I  may  belong 
to  Him,  and  may  be  made  useful  through  the  fructifying  influence  of 
His  Spirit ;  that  that  Spirit  may  carry  with  it  the  whole  man  to  His 
blessed  service  ;  that  He  being  my  ruler  and  guide,  I  may  be  enabled  to 
do  something  this  year  for  the  negro  race, — something  towards  deliver- 
ing them  from  the  remnants  of  their  cruel  bondage, — especially  some- 
thing for  their  souls ;  and  may  large  flocks  be  brought  to  thy  fold. 
May  I  this  year  do  something  towards  the  further  abolition  of  the  slave- 
trade,  and  something  for  the  natives  of  our  colonies. 

"  Help  me,  O  Lord,  in  forming  a  right  judgment  of  the  critical  affairs 
of  the  Irish  Church.  Direct  me  aright,  and  let  neither  the  love  of 
liberal  policy  on  the  one  hand,  nor  the  fear  of  the  resentment  and  re- 
proach of  the  evangelical  clergy  on  the  other,  lead  me  astray. 

"  May  all  peace  and  all  profitable  prosperity  be  granted  in  this  year 
to  all  my  relatives  and  friends.  Each  and  severally  I  recall  them,  and 
present  them  before  thee,  craving  health  to  the  sick,  consolation  to  the 
afflicted,  strength  to  the  weak,  instruction  to  those  who  know  not  thy 
saving  grace,  and  happiness,  wisdom,  grace,  the  guiding,  the  encourag- 
ing, the  comforting  influence  qf  thy  Holy  Spirit  to  all.  This  year  I 
shall  have  numbered  half  a^century.  It  is  a  subject  of  deep  meditation, 
where  shall  I  be  at  the  end  of  the  next  half-century  ?  Through  mercy, 
through  love  unbounded,  through  Christ,  I  trust  that  I  shall  be  in  His 
kingdom.  Walk  with  me,  tutor  me  to  thy  will,  be  with  me  in  every 
struggle,  shape  out  my  course,  be  my  wisdom,  my  guard,  my  guide,  in 
every  hour  of  this  year,  for  Christ's  sake." 

The  following  memorandum,  in  Mr.  Buxton's  handwriting, 


1836.]  NEGRO  APPRENTICESHIP.  321 

appears  on  the  last  page  of  a  book  of  '  Papers  on  the  Abolition 
of  Slavery  :' — 

4'  January  7,  1836. 

'•  I  have  finished  this  collection  of  papers  with  a  degree  of  satisfaction 
and  thankfulness  which  I  cannot  express.  My  expectations  are  sur- 
[j;i— rd,  God's  blessing  has  been  on  this  perilous  work  of  humanity." 

On  the  22nd  of  March  he  moved  for  a  committee  to  inquire 
into  the  working  of  the  apprenticeship  system.  His  investiga- 
tions on  that  subject  had  cost  him  much  time  and  labour ;  and  he 
now  brought  forth  a  mass  of  statistical  facts,  proving,  on  the  one 
hand,  that  the  negroes  had  behaved  extremely  well,  and  on  the 
other,  that  they  had  been  harassed  by  vexatious  by-laws  and 
cruel  punishments.  "  This  is  my  case,"  he  said,  in  conclusion  ; 
"  it  shows  at  least  this :  that  if  the  planters  have  misconducted 
themselves,  they  can  find  no  excuse  for  it  in  the  conduct  of  the 
negroes.  There  has  been  no  disappointment  in  that  quarter." 

The  committee  was  granted,  and  Sir  George  Grey  (the  Under- 
secretary for  the  Colonies)  soon  afterwards  introduced  a  bill 
for  enforcing,  in  Jamaica,  certain  measures  in  favour  of  the 
negroes. 

The  Aborigines'  Committee  had  likewise  been  re-appointed, 
and  Mr.  Buxton's  attention  to  these  two  subjects,  in  addition  to 
matters  connected  with  them,  occupied  him  closely.  A  friend, 
who  spent  a  day  at  his  house  in  Devonshire  Street  during  the 
spring  of  this  year,  described  it  as  "curious,  and  almost  fearful, 
to  witness  the  multiplicity  of  business,  the  wave  upon  wave  of 
deep  interests,  which  poured  in  upon  him.  No  time  for  air  or 
exercise,  no  time  for  relaxation."  His  strength  was  barely  equal 
to  the  claims  upon  it.  "  Oh  !  how  we  shall  throw  up  our  hats," 
he  said,  "  when  I  am  out  of  Parliament !  " 

TO  THE  REV.  3.  M.  TREW. 

"  July  1,  1836. 

"  I  am  truly  grieved  not  to  hear  a  better  report  of  your  health,  for  I 
do  regard  it  as  invaluable.    We  arc  not  less  over-worked  at  home.    The 
Apprenticeship  and  Aborigines'  Committees  have  been  heavy  and  in- 
cessant work,  and  there  are  innumerable  calls  upon  our  best  exertions. 
"  I  look  upon  your  exertions  and  those  of  your  fellow-labourers  with 

Y 


.•522  NEGRO  APPRENTICESHIP.  [CHAP.  xxnr. 

unmixed  comfort.  I  hope  that  '  meekness  of  wisdom  '  may  be  yours, 
and  I  desire  that  we  may  all  truly  remember  that  '  One  is  our  master.' 
With  cordial  good  wishes  to  you  and  yours,  in  which  my  family  warmly 
join, 

"I  am,  &c.  &c." 

TO  ZACHARY  MACAULAY,  ESQ. 

"  Renny  Hill,  Fifeshire,  Sept.  6,  1836. 

"  Once  more  I  have  to  feel  how  scandalous  it  is  that  I  have  been  so 
remiss  in  writing  to  you,  but  I  must  lay  the  blame  on  the  labours  of  the 
session.  What  with  the  Committee  on  the  Apprenticeship,  which 
occupied  two  days  in  the  week,  the  Aborigines'  Committee,  which 
occupied  two  more,  the  House' itself,  and  my  own  private  business,  I 
was  as  much  overworked,  or  more  so,  than  at  any  former  period;  but 
for  the  last  month  I  have  done  literally  nothing,  except  learn  to  sleep  in 
my  bed,  and  to  eat  at  my  meals,  arts  which  I  had  nearly  lost  while  in 
London. 

"It  is,  however,  full  time  that  I  should  tell  you  something  of  my 
impression  as  to  the  effect  of  the  Apprenticeship  Committee.  I  think 
we  proved,  beyond  dispute,  that  the  negroes  are  subjected  to  many  op- 
pressions quite  at  variance  with  the  intentions  of  the  Abolition  Act. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  was  proved  that  these  had  gradually,  but  deci- 
dedly, abated,  and  that  feelings  of  hostility  had  much  subsided. 

"  In  discussing  the  report  I  was  placed  in  a  difficult  and  painful  posi- 
tion. Johnston  was  in  Scotland;  O'Connell  could  not  often  attend  ;  in 
short,  had  I  divided  upon  its  continuance,  I  should  have  been  alone. 
1  contented  myself,  therefore,  with  a  protest,  and  got  for  my  modera- 
tion the  introduction  of  a  paragraph  declaring  that,  after  1840,  the 
negroes  were  to  have  '  unqualified  freedom,'  and  to  be  subject  to  no 
other  restrictions  than  those  imposed  on  white  labourers  at  home.  This, 
to  my  mind,  is  a  great  victory.  The  Government  are  pledged  up  to 
their  teeth  to  consent  to  no  act  which  shall  in  any  way  cripple  or  en- 
croach upon  perfect  freedom  when  the  apprenticeship  ceases. 

"  The  Mico  teachers  are  going  on  excellently  well  in  the  West 
Indies.  They  describe  the  thirst  for  instruction  among  the  coloured 
people  as  excessively  strong. 

"  The  Aborigines'  Committee  went  on  exceedingly  well.  I  wonder 
whether  you  have  seen  Lord  Glenelg's  despatch  about  the  seizure  of  the 
Caffre  territory.  It  is  most  admirable,  and  is  about  the  first  instance  of 
a  nation  acting  towards  the  weak  on  the  principles  of  justice  and 
Christianity. 

>'  I  begin  to  hope  that  my  period  of  public  service  is  nearly  expired, 


\B'M.]  HE  DECLINES  LEAVING  PARLIAMENT.  323 


and  that  1  ^liall  he  so  fortunate  as  to  he  turned  out  at  the  next  election. 
I  should  not  be  satisfied  if  I  resigned  ;  but  if  I  stood  and  failed,  I 
should  think  it  a  most  happy  consummation." 

Mr.  Buxton's  friends  were  anxious  that  he  should  not  expose 
his  broken  health  to  the  fatigue  of  another  Parliament.  His 
uncle,  Mr.  Charles  Buxton,  had  written  him  a  pressing  letter 
upon  this  subject.  In  reply,  he  says  :  — 

*  *  *  *  «  At  present  I  am  remarkably  well,  have  no  headache, 
and  no  complaint,  except  rather  too  good  an  appetite.  I  have  received 
very  encouraging  accounts  from  the  West  Indies  of  the  conduct  of  the 
negroes,  and  this  I  am  sure  will  please  you.  Three  years  ago,  it  ap- 
peared by  official  returns  that  in  Jamaica  there  were  300,000  flog- 
gings with  the  eartwhip  in  a  year.  Last  year  the  number  was  reduced 
nine-tenths,  from  300,000  to  30,000.  The  result  being  such,  I  grudge 
neither  the  time,  nor  the  money,  nor  the  labour,  nor  the  health  1  have 
spent  on  tins  object  ;  and  I  hope  this  consideration  will  make  you  better 
satisfied  with  my  having  been  in  Parliament.  Can  I,  as  an  honest  man, 
retire  now,  when  I  know  for  a  certainty  that  the  effect  of  my  motion  in 
the  House,  last  year  and  the  year  before,  has  been  to  frighten  the  ma- 
gistrates, and  to  save  the  backs  of  thousands  of  poor  fellows  from  unmer- 
ciful floggings  ? 

"  You  may  say  what  you  please,  I  know  it  is  all  in  kindness  for  me  ; 
but  I  also  know  that  if  you  were  in  my  place,  no  personal  consideration 
would  be  sufficient  to  prevail  on  you  to  abandon  your  duty." 

His  conduct  upon  these  committees  has  been  well  portrayed 
by  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  A.  Johnston,  who  was  his  companion  and 
assistant  in  them,  and  who  supplied  the  place  of  a  private  secre- 
tary during  the  last  three  years  that  he  was  in  Parliament.  His 
remarks,  as  will  be  seen,  refer  also  to  the  earlier  and  still  more 
important  warfare  on  the  slavery  question,  in  which  Mr.  Johnston 
had  been  one  of  his  most  faithful  allies. 

"  1  had,"  says  Mr.  Johnston,  "  been  well  acquainted  with  Mr.  Bux- 
ton's name,  and  had  watched  his  proceedings  with  interest,  before  I 
entered  Parliament  in  1831.  Shortly  after  I  took  my  seat,  I  introduced 
myself  to  him  as  one  who  aimed  at  being  enlisted  under  his  Anti-  slavery 
banner,  and  before  long  I  was  honoured  with  that  friendship  which  I 
ever  felt  I  could  not  sufficiently  prize.  I  was  soon  strongly  impressed 
by  seeing  his  almost  exclusive  devotedness  to  the  object  he  had  in  hand 
at  any  given  time  ;  he  spared  no  pains  to  achieve  his  purpose,  he  was 
constantly  on  the  watch,  and  by  his  tact  and  perseverance  frequently 

Y  2 


324  REMARKS  BY  MR.  JOHNSTON.          [CHAP.  xxm. 

succeeded  in  obtaining  documents  which  would  otherwise  have  remained 
in  obscurity.  Often  did  he  patiently  wait  to  the  end  of  the  usually  long 
debates  for  the  small  chance  of  success  in  a  motion  for  papers ;  often  did 
one  tiresome  opponent,  in  particular,  who  seemed  to  make  it  his  pecu- 
liar vocation  to  hinder  his  progress,  succeed  in  frustrating  his  endea- 
vours, after  he  had  remained  till  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Then  did  Mr.  TJuxton,  night  after  night,  postpone  the  motion  till  a 
favourable  opportunity  should  arrive,  arid  in  our  refreshing  walks  home, 
in  the  early  cool  morning,  after  the  heat,  glare,  and  fatigue  of  the 
House,  he  betrayed  no  impatience,  but  showed  himself  content  to  labour 
on,  accepting  with  thankfulness  every  little  success  which  he  was  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  in  this  harassing  but  most  necessary  portion  of  his 
duty. 

"  He  was  very  often  at  the  Foreign  Office ;  and  at  the  Colonial  Office 
he  was,  during  the  sitting  of  Parliament,  almost  a  daily  visitor.  Though 
his  proceedings  called  forth  bitter  opposition  from  some  quarters,  and 
though  the  Government  generally  resisted  his  proposals,  at  least  for  a 
time,  I  soon  saw  that  his  honesty  and  singleness  of  purpose,  his  manly 
understanding,  and  the  weight  of  his  character,  commanded  a  decided 
and  increasing  influence  in  Downing  Street.  He  was  thoroughly  liked 
and  respected  in  the  House,  and  yet  his  constant  urbanity  and  kind 
feeling,  even  towards  his  bitterest  opponents,  ought  to  have  disarmed 
them  more  than  it  seemed  to  do.  His  firmness  was  sometimes  exposed 
to  severe  trials.  I  remember  in  particular  the  debate  of  May,  1832, 
when  the  Government,  who  were  unwilling  to  oppose  his  resolutions 
directly,  endeavoured  to  neutralize  their  effect  by  a  '  rider.'  He  was 
earnestly  entreated  by  a  great  many  members  to  consent  to  this  without 
dividing  the  House  ;  but,  strong  in  his  own  conviction  of  what  was 
right,  he  resisted  them  all.  I  sat  by  him  through  the  whole  of  that 
anxious  evening,  and  was  astonished  at  the  firmness  which  he  displayed, 
He  obtained  a  large  minority,  but  many  of  those  who  voted  in  it  were 
very  angry  with  him  lor  placing  them  in  opposition  to  the  ministry. 

"  This  debate  led  to  the  appointment  of  a  committee,  on  which  I  was 
one  of  Mr.  Buxton's  nominees,  as  well  as  on  those  which  were  subse- 
quently appointed  at  his  instance,  on  the  state  of  the  Aborigines  con- 
nected with  our  colonies,  and  on  the  working  of  apprenticeship  in  the 
West  Indies.  These  cost  him  very  many  toilsome  hours.  Nothing, 
indeed,  could  exceed  the  perseverance  with  which  he  pursued  his  in- 
quiries, or  the  zeal  with  which  he  endeavoured  to  elicit  truth.  His 
energy  never  flagged,  nor  do  I  remember  his  ever  losing  temper  in  the 
fatiiuie?  and  annoyances  of  these  labours.  In  general,  at  the  rising  of 
the  committee,  when  the  members  were  summoned  to  the  House,  a 
number  of  persons  were  in  waiting,  each  of  whom  had  his  own  obscrva- 


1836.]  IRISH  CHURCH.  325 

tions  on  the  evidence,  or  his  suggestions,  to  submit  to  Mr.  Buxton,  or  it 
might  he  some  grievance  to  bring  under  his  notice,  or  some  scheme  of 
benevolence  for  which  his  patronage  was  requested.  Each  of  these 
watched  his  opportunity,  probably  believing  his  own  to  be  the  business 
of  all  others  paramount  in  importance.  To  all  these  persons  he  was 
accessible,  and,  though  exhausted  by  his  previous  exertions,  to  all  he 
gave  a  patient  and  attentive  ear.  Often  on  these  occasions  I  have  urged 
him  to  break  away  from  this  additional  strain  upon  his  mind,  and  leave 
the  heated  committee-room,  but  he  invariably  persevered  until  he  had 
dismissed  his  numerous  applicants,  satisfied  with  the  manner  of  their 
reception,  and  charmed  with  his  great  kindness  and  consideration. 

"  For  some  years  Mr.  Buxton  and  myself  were  associated  with  a 
select  band  of  members  of  Parliament  who,  though  of  varied  and  even 
opposite  political  opinions,  met  on  every  '  House  night,'  for  a  short 
period,  to  enjoy  confidential  intercourse  on  the  one  subject  upon  which 
all  were  agreed. 

"  Reading  from  Scripture  and  prayer  were  the  leading  objects  for 
which  we  assembled.  Mr.  Buxton  was  one  of  the  most  constant  at- 
tendants, and  very  often  '  the  chaplain.'  Nor  can  I  doubt  that  these 
meetings  greatly  strengthened  and  sustained  him,  under  the  fierce  oppo- 
sition with  which  he  was  too  often  assailed." 


In  one  of  Mr.  O'Connell's  speeches  on  some  Irish  question,  he 
exclaimed,  "  Oh  !  I  wish  we  were  blacks  !  If  the  Irish  people 
were  but  black,  we  should  have  the  honourable  member  for 
Weymouth  coming  down  as  large  as  life,  supported  by  all  '  the 
friends  of  humanity '  in  the  back  rows,  to  advocate  their 
cause." 

This  allegation  was  jocosely  made,  but  it  was  not  entirely 
wide  of  the  truth.  Everything  connected  with  the  African  race 
seemed  to  touch  a  chord  of  feeling  in  Mr.  Buxton's  heart,  and  to 
bear  a  stronger  sway  over  his  sympathies  than  any  other  subjects 
could  attain. 

Yet  the  affairs  of  Ireland  deeply  interested  him.  "  Never," 
he  .*aid,  in  1835,  "  did  I  make  any  public  subject,  except 
slavery,  a  matter  of  so  much  prayer  as  this  question  of  the  Irish 
Church."  Being,  as  he  was,  a  thorough  Whig,  the  natural  bias 
of  his  mind  was  to  support  the  measures  of  that  party. 

"  But,"  said  he,  "  the  Irish  Church  is  too  sacred.  I  am  a  Protestant 
and  a  churchman,  and. I  would  not  sacrifice  an  iota  of  either  for  all  the 


326  LETTER  TO  HIS  SONS.  [CHAP.  xxm. 

political  connections  in  the  \vorld  ;  so  I  was  for  some  time  a  wavercr ; 
exactly  what  Hume  called  a  loose  fish,  and  which  sort  of  loose  fish  he 
afterwards  described  as  a  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing.  Rumour  ran  that 
the  Whigs  were  going  to  assign  part  of  the  Church  revenues  to  the 
Roman  Catholics.  I  resolved  to  resist,  having  come  to  the  conclusion 
that,  if  a  surplus  wrere  proved,  it  ought  to  be  given  to  religious  education. 
To  my  surprise  and  satisfaction,  I  found  lhat  the  plan  I  had  worked  out 
in  my  closet,  and  which  I  meant  to  adhere  to,  in  defiance  of  them,  was 
precisely  what  they  had  resolved  on." 

Some  of  the  reasons  which  had  brought  him  to  this  decision 
are  thus  mentioned  in  a  rough  memorandum : — 

"  TOO/,  tithes  from  parish  of  Killeen  : — you  give  75/.  to  your  working 
curate,  and  625/.  to  Sir  II.  L.  at  Bath.  Pray  is  this  a  religious  use,  or 
ecclesiastical?  I  have  a  butler;  pay  him  TOO/.  He,  too  rich  to  work, 
hires  a  deputy  for  T5/.  I  say,  as  the  deputy  does  the  work,  I  may  as 
well  hire  him;  save  625/.  Is  my  establishment  in  danger?  No;  but 
more  means  to  make  it  more  perfect  in  other  respects. 

"  Church  not  in  danger.  Sir  H.  L.  in  danger — of  being  obliged  to 
do  his  duty." 

He  moved,  however,  as  an  amendment  to  Lord  John  Russell's 
motion,  the  insertion  of  the  words  "moral  and  religious,"  instead 
of  "  general  "  education  ;  and  a  provision  for  the  resumption  of 
the  surplus  by  the  Church  when  required.* 

The  following  letter  was  addressed,  after  that  debate,  to  his 
two  younger  sons  at  Northrepps : — 

"  Devonshire  Street,  April  3,  1835. 

"  My  dear  Fowell  and  Charles, — C.  will  tell  you  how  I  have  been 
engaged  this  week.  It  has  been  very  laborious  work.  I  did  not  get  to 
bed  this  morning  till  broad  daylight,  near  seven  o'clock ;  so  1  suppose 
you  were  up  before  I  was  down. 

"  I  have  scarcely  time  to  write,  as  I  must  be  at  the  House  of  Com- 
mons again  early,  and  there  I  shall  be  kept  all  night  I  suppose ;  but  I 
am  quite  equal  to  the  exertion,  and  (I  must  confess  it)  somewhat  cheered 
and  exhilarated  by  the  success  of  last  night's  effort.  Work  hard,  my 
lads,  and  what  you  do  learn,  remember;  fix  it  in  your  minds,  and  then 
write  it  in  your  commonplace  books.  The  passage  of  my  speech  last 
night  which  was  best  liked  was  a  quotation  picked  up  by  me  some  thirty 
years  ago,  when  I  was  a  youth — planted  in  my  mind — and  there  it  was 

*  '  Hansard,'  April  2,  1835. 


1836.]  CHURCH  QUESTIONS.  327 

\\hen  1  \\antcd  it.  I  have  just  been  taking  a  delightful  walk  with  your 
dear  sister  Priscilla,  talking  about  slavery,  and  savages,  and  slave-trade. 
Whenever  I  want  to  clear  and  brighten  up  my  mind,  I  find  nothing  so 
effectual  as  an  interchange  of  thoughts  with  her. 

"  Give  my  best  love  to  the  ladies  at  the  Cottage,  and  tell  them,  that 
there,  on  the  table  before  me,  lie  their  Caffre  papers,  and  I  now  and 
then  glance  at  them,  and  smile  at  them  as  a  treasure.  Tell  Miss  Glover 
I  am  going  to  treat  her  as  the  king  treated  Daniel.  I  call  upon  her, 
not  only  to  interpret  my  dream,  but  to  tell  me  what  my  dream  is. 

"  I  want  her  to  find  a  passage  to  this  effect:  '  Our  religion  braves 
the  face  of  day  ;  it  does  not  skulk  from  truth.'  But  where  is  it  ?  Oh, 
that  is  more  than  I  know.  I  think  it  is  either  in  a  volume  of  South,* 
or  in  the  fourth  volume  of  Hopkins  ;  and  I  think  it  is  .on  the  bottom  of 
the  left-hand  pagt,  and  marked  by  me.  If  she  can  find  it  by  these 
clear  directions,  awl  will  send  it  to  me,  the  world  shall  have  it.  I 
think  you  might  rile  over  to  Sheringham^  to  tell  them  all  the  news ; 
they  would  be  so  p eased  to  find  that  we  were  pleased. 

"  I  was  delightel  to  have  Edward  at  the  House  last  night.  I  was 
sure  of  one  auditor  who  would  listen  attentively,  and  judge  with  partial 
acuteness." 

Mr.  Buxton's  readiness  to  go  hand-in-hand  with  Dissenters  in 
any  work  of  mercj,  and  the  hearty  friendship  with  which  he  was 
honoured  by  manj  eminent  Christians  of  different  persuasions, 
gave  rise  to  an  irrpression  that  he  had  little  affection  for  the 
Established  Church.  This  impression  was  entirely  erroneous. 

"  I  look  up,"  ie  said,  "  to  the  Established  Church  with  grateful 
affection;  I  hail  ler  as  the  great  bulwark  of  religious  truth,  and  I  can 
conceive  no  calanity  greater  than  any  inroad  made  on  her  security. 
But  I  must  avow  hat  I  am  an  enemy  to  every  species  of  intolerance ; 
justice  to  every  mm,  charity  to  every  man,  are  parts  of  the  religion  I 
profess." 

Thrown,  as  ht  had  been,  amongst  pious  and  benevolent  Dis- 
senters, he  coulc  not  but  rejoice  in  the  deep  fellowship  of  heart 

*  He  quoted  this  passage  from  Dr.  South,  in  his  speech,  in  the  following 
year.  It  stands  tlus : — "  Some  of  their  (the  Koman  Catholic)  clergy  deal 
•with  their  religion  is  with  a  great  crime ;  if  it  is  discovered,  they  are  undone. 
But  our  religion  i.ca  religion  that  dares  to  be  understood,  that  offers  itself  to 
the  search  of  the  inquisitive,  to  the  inspection  of  the  severest  and  most 
awakened  reason ;  for,  being  secure  of  her  substantial  truth  and  purity,  she 
knows  that  for  ler  to  be  seen  and  looked  into  is  to  be  embraced  and 
admired." 


323  NOTES  FOR  FAMILY  PRAYERS.          [CHAP.  XXIH. 

which  existed  between  them  and  him  ;  but  he  was  not  the  less 
firmly  attached  to  his  own  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ :  he 
loved  her  sublime  and  solemn  ritual,  and  he  looked  upon  her  as 
a  most  important  means  of  preserving  and  propagating  Christian 
truth.  But  he  could  not  consider  any  particular  form  of  church- 
government  as  having  come  from  God,  and  therefore  too  sacred 
to  be  touched  by  the  hand  of  man.  Accordingly,  his  desire  to 
increase  the  efficiency  of  the  Church  led  him  to  seek  the  reform 
of  those  abuses  which,  during  the  lapse  of  ages,  /iad  crept  into 
her  institutions.  But  on  this,  as  on  all  other  important  occa- 
sions, he  did  not  act  without  deep  deliberation  and  earnest 
prayer  for  guidance.  In  the  lists*  which  he  made  almost  every 
Sunday,  of  the  subjects  to  be  dwelt  upon  in  his  family  prayers, 
"  the  Church"  is,  at  this  period,  usually  inserted  as  one  011 
which  he  required  help  and  direction. 

For  instance,  the  following  notes  for  his  fanily  prayers  were 
written  by  him  when  about  to  leave  Northrepps  in  February, 
1836,  to  engage  in  the  duties  of  the  session  :  — 

"  In  removing,  we  pray  that  that  merciful  Pnvidence,  which  has 
stood  round  about  us,  may  continue;  sheltered,  refreshed,  counselled, 
strengthened  by  thee.  Ward  off  danger,  baffle  oir  enemy,  rob  sin  of 
its  temptations ;  make  us  wholly,  in  inward  thought:  and  outward  deeds, 
thine  own. 

"  Be  thou  the  mover  of  every  work  in  which  we  eogage. 

"  The  counsellor  to  teach  us  what  to  say  and  do. 

"  The  source  of  strength,  confidence,  and  comfort. 

"  May  we  labour,  not  with  eye-service,  but  in  singeness  of  heart. 

"  Bless  those  rising  from  bondage,  and  all  efforts  01  their  behalf;  the 
heathen,  suffering  from  the  evils  and  oppression  of  nen  calling  tlicm- 
selves  Christians  ;  and  may  a  choice  blessing  rest  on  tie  efforts  made  for 
tlic'ir  physical  advantage  and  religious  advancement. 

"  Bless  the  spread  of  education,  and  of  thy  truth. 

"  Bless  me  in  dealing  with  the  Church  ;  no  scF-vvill,  no  meaner 
motive  than  a  desire  to  advance  its  interests." 

Nor  did  he  omit  to  use  every  means  of  rendering  himself  fully 

acquainted  with  the  case.     Writing  to  the  Bishcp  of  London,  to 

*  These  were  mere  notes,  to  aid  him  in  his  family  demotions  ;  tli«-\ 
not  the  same  as  the  papers  of  religious  meditations,  from  wneli  extract!  have 
been  given  before. 


1836.]  IRISH  TITHE  BILL.  329 

request  information  on  many  points  connected  with  it,  he  adds, 
— "  I  trust  the  importance  of  the  subject,  and  my  anxiety  to  be 
fully  persuaded  as  to  my  vote  upon  it,  will  be  my  excuse  for 
giving1  your  lordship  so  much  trouble."  These  examples  prove, 
that,  whether  his  conduct  on  these  Church  questions  did  or  did 
not  deserve  the  severe  reprobation  which  it  received  from  many 
of  his  religious  friends,  it  was,  at  least,  not  undertaken  in  a  spirit 
of  rash  self-confidence. 

The  second  reading  of  Lord  John  Russell's  Irish  Tithe  Bill 
was  brought  forward  on  the  1st  of  June.  Mr.  Buxton  argued 
strongly  in  favour  of  each  of  the  three  leading  clauses,  which 
provided,  in  his  own  words,  "  First,  that  the  incumbent  should 
no  longer  apply  to  the  wretched  cottager  and  impoverished 
tenant,  but  should  have  his  claim  upon  the  laud  itself."  "  Will 
any  one,"  exclaimed  he,  "  pretend  to  say  that  this  is  ruin,  or 
even  peril  to  the  Church?"  "  Secondly,  that  the  funds  of  the 
Irish  Church  should  be  more  equally  distributed  among  its 
ministers."  "  The  present  system,"  he  said,  "  by  which  the 
Church  is  often  liberal  and  bountiful  to  the  ineffective,  and  par- 
simonious to  the  useful  labourer,  is  not  merely  injustice,  but  also 
the  worst  husbandry  in  the  world."  "  Thirdly,  that  the  re- 
muneration to  the  clergy  should  thereafter  be  confined  within 
certain  limits  on  either  hand."  "  It  should  be,"  he  said,  "  not 
a  state  of  poverty,  not  a  state  of  abundance ;  it  should  neither 
rise  so  high  as  to  attract  the  envy  of  the  people,  nor  fall  so  low 
as  to  forfeit  their  respect.  *  *  *  Again,  I  ask,  where  is  the 
wickedness  of  all  this,  and  where  lies  the  danger?" 

He  strongly  supported  the  plan  of  giving  the  surplus  fund 
(after  the  new  distribution  of  the  Church  revenues)  to  defray  the 
expense  of  a  system  of  education  in  which  as  much  of  the  Bible 
was  to  be  read  as  the  Roman  Catholics  would  allow. 

"  Do  I  say  that  this  is  enough  ?  No !  I  lament  that  Scripture  is  thus 
sparingly  doled  out.  *  *  *  But  though  this  system  does  not  do  all,  it 
does  much.  It  teaches  the  Catholic  to  read — it  gives  him  a  portion  of 
Scripture  to  read."  "  I  have  better  faith,"  he  added,  "  in  the  truth  of 
my  religion,  than  to  dread  that  instruction  can  damage  it;  and  this  is 
good  old  sound  Protestant  doctrine." 

He  concluded  by  pointing  out  how  little  the  harsh  system 
hitherto  pursued  had  done  towards  the  spread  of  truth  : — 


330  MR.  BUXTON'S  SPEECH.  [CHAP.  xxm. 

"  How  has  it  been,"  he  asked,  "  that  truth  itself,  backed  by  a  Pro- 
testant establishment,  by  a  Protestant  king,  a  Protestant  army,  a  Pro- 
testant parliament— that  truth  itself,  so  far  from  advancing,  has  not  kept 
her  ground  against  error?  My  solution  of  the  question  is,  that  we  have 
resorted  to  force  where  reason  alone  could  prevail.  We  have  forgotten 
that  though  the  sword  may  do  its  work — mow  down  armies,  and  subdue 
nations — it  cannot  carry  conviction  to  the  understanding  of  men  ;  nay, 
the  very  use  of  force  tends  to  create  a  barrier  to  the  reception  of  that 
truth  w  hich  it  intends  to  promote.  We  have  forgotten  that  there  is 
something  in  the  human  breast — no  base  or  sordid  feeling,  the  same 
which  makes  a  generous  mind  cleave  with  double  affection  to  a  distressed 
and  injured  friend,  and  which  makes  men  cleave  with  tenfold  fondness — 
deaf  to  reason,  deaf  to  remonstrance,  reckless  of  interest,  prodigal  of 
life — to  a  persecuted  religion.  I  charge  ihe  failure  of  Protestant  truth 
in  converting  the  Irish  upon  the  head  of  Protestant  ascendancy. 

"  Protestant  ascendancy!  It  sounds  well  enough  in  English  ears. 
It  seems  to  mean  no  more  than  the  Church  under  the  peculiar  protec- 
tion of  the  State ;  but  happy  had  it  been  for  the  Protestant  Church  had 
Protestant  ascendancy  never  been  heard  of — happy  had  it  been  had  we 
dared  to  present  our  truth  to  the  Irish,  not  in  arms,  not  in  pomp,  not 
decorated  with  the  symbols  of  earthly  power,  but  in  that  lowliness  and 
gentleness  which  naturally  belong  to  it. 

"  But  I  dare  not  trespass  longer  on  the  House.  I  like  the  bill,  and 
shall  vote  for  it :  first,  because  tithe  is  adjusted ;  secondly,  because 
stipend  is  to  be  measured  by  duty  ;  thirdly,  because  education  is  to  be 
granted.  I  like,  and  shall  vote  for  the  bill,  lastly,  because  it  bears  no 
affinity  to  the  old  overbearing  system  of  Protestant  ascendancy ;  and 
because,  as  I  have  so  often  said,  it  gives  my  faith  fair  play  ;  because,  at 
last,  the  Protestant  religion  will  do  herself  justice.  Stripped  of  her 
odious  disguise,  she  will  appear  to  the  Irish  what  we  know  she  is.  She 
will  appear  in  her  natural,  her  peaceful,  her  charitable,  her  attractive 
character." 

This  speech  gave  great  displeasure  to  many  of  his  clerical 
friends,  who  conceived  that  he  was  bent  on  the  ruin — though  all 
he  desired  was  the  temperate  reform — of  the  Irish  Church  esta- 
blishment ;  and  although  "  he  had  taken  the  opportunity,"  as  he 
writes  the  day  after  the  debate,  "  of  separating  himself  from  the 
Radicals  by  condemning  Hume's  proposal  for  paying  church- 
rates  out  of  the  money  to  be  saved  from  bishops  and  deans." 


1836.]  BLAME  INCURRED.  331 

TO  JOSEPH  JOHN  GURNET,  ESQ. 

"  The  Vicarage,  Lowestoft,  1836. 

"  *  *  *  *  Francis  Cunningham  preached  a  noble  sermon  last  night ; 
plain,  strong,  earnest,  and  no  self  about  it.  It  would  not  have  disgraced 
Goat  Lane,*  as  I  have  heard  those  there,  and  at  Bradpole,  which  would 
have  done  honour  to  a  cathedral. 

"  It  is  curious  and  instructive  to  see  Francis  and  his  wife  going  full 
drive,  and  devoting  their  all  to  their  sacred  calling.  I  love,  at  least  I 
think  I  love,  the  real  thing — this  entire  dedication,  whether  it  displays 
itself  among  Churchmen  or  Dissenters.  But  I  am  not  flattered  by 

Churchmen  for  my  views  !  Our  friend writes  thus  to  Francis  : — 

'  Buxton  cuts  me  to  the  heart ;  I  never  read  such  hollow,  weak,  flashy, 
unsatisfactory  speeches  in  my  life.'  And  this  but  represents  the  general 
impression  among  Evangelicals,  for  whom  I  feel,  nevertheless,  the 
strongest  affection,  and  with  whom,  I  must  add  (though  they  would  be 
indignant  at  my  presumption  if  they  heard  it),  the  strongest  union." 


The  Friends'  Meeting  House,  in  Norwich. 


332  CAPERCAILZIE.  [CHAP.  xxiv. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

1836. 

Scotland  —  Capercailzie  —  Letters  —  Habits  of  Life   at  Northrepps  — 
Order  —  Love  of  Poetry  —  His  Domestic  Character  —  Letters. 

OVERWROUGHT  with  toil  and  anxiety,  Mr.  Buxton  was  delighted 
to  escape  to  Scotland  in  the  beginning  of  August.  While  he 
was  on  this  tour,  the  Marquis  of  Breadalbane,  with  true  High- 
land hospitality,  placed  one  of  his  moors  at  his  disposal,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  remained  for  some  time  at  Dalmally,  and  after- 
wards at  Luib,*  enjoying  the  sport  afforded  by  the  surrounding 
country. 

Wishing  to  express  his  sense  of  this  act  of  kindness,  he  applied 
to  his  relative,  Mr.  Llewellyn  Lloyd, f  who  was  residing  in 
Sweden,  engaging  him  to  use  his  best  exertions  to  procure  as 
many  live  capercailzie  as  possible,  as  a  present  to  Lord  Breadal- 
bane. 

The  capercailzie,  or  cock  of  the  woods,  as  it  is  well  known, 
were  in  former  times  denizens  of  the  Scotch  forests,  but  the  last 
specimen  was  shot  about,  a  hundred  years  ago  in  Perthshire. 
They  are  large  birds,  a  full-grown  cock  weighing  about  twelve 
pounds ;  they  live,  for  the  most  part,  in  larch  forests,  and  are 
found  throughout  Sweden  and  Norway.  Mr.  Lloyd  sent  adver- 
tisements for  live  capercailzie  to  the  villages  up  the  country. 
These  advertisements,  according  to  the  Swedish  custom,  were 
read  from  the  pulpits  after  divine  service ;  and  in  the  course  of 
the  winter  thirteen  cocks  and  sixteen  hens  were  procured,  which 
were  placed  under  the  care  of  Larry  Banvill  (Mr.  Buxton's  faith- 

*  While  at  Luib  Inn  he  was  rendered  uneasy  after  two  or  three  clays  by 
the  non-appearance  of  his  letters.  "  I  understood  you  had  a  post  here,"  said 
he  to  the  landlord.  "  Oh  yes,  sir,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  the  last  day  or  two 
he  has  been  out  shooting  with  you." 

f  Author  of '  Northern  Field  Sports.' 


1836.]  DEATH  OF  MRS.  HOARE.  3.33 

ful  Irish  gamekeeper),  who  had  been  sent  to  Sweden  for  the 
purpose,  and  by  whom  they  were  successfully  conveyed  to  Tay- 
itiouth  Castle.  After  a  time  they  were  all  turned  out  into  the 
large  woods  at  Taymouth,  in  which  they  have  thriven  so  well 
that  they  are  now  stated  to  amount  to  about  two  thousand  ;  and 
as  several  other  proprietors  have  followed  the  example,  and  have 
introduced  them  from  Sweden,  there  is  every  reason  to  expect 
that  this  fine  bird  will  become  once  more  naturalised  in  Scot- 
land.* 

Mr.  Buxton  writes  from  Loch-earn-head  : — 

"August  27,  1836. 

'*  I  am  astonishingly  idle,  and  it  agrees  with  me  beyond  any  other 
medicine.  I  do  not  get  much  shooting,  but  plenty  of  walking  and 
•wetting,  plenty  of  appetite,  and  plenty  of  sleep.  Sad  thoughts  of  dis- 
tant friends  cloud  the  imagination,  but  the  bodily  benefit  is  still  ob- 
tained. I  certainly  wanted  a  holiday,  and  in  one  sense  I  have  got  a 
complete  one,  for  I  have  nothing  to  do,  nothing  to  read,  and  this  is 
almost  the  only  letter  I  have  written  for  a  week." 

The  illness  of  his  sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Samuel  Hoare,  was  one 
of  the  painful  circumstances  to  which  he  refers  as  clouding  his 
enjoyment.  On  receiving  the  account  of  her  death,  he  writes 
from  the  house  of  Mr.  Johnston  to  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta:  — 

"  Kenny  Hill,  Fife,  Sept.  10,  1836. 

"  Our  minds  have  been  occupied  of  late  by  a  most  sad  event — the 
death  of  my  wile's  sister.  I  am  sure  you  must  remember  Mrs.  Samuel 
Hoare  of  Hampstead.  I  hardly  know  how  to  speak  of  her  as  I  ought; 
she  was  almost  as  dear  to  me  as  anything  upon  earth.  For  more  than 
thirty  years  I  have  been  united  to  her  in  the  closest  intimacy.  In  all 
that  time  I  cannot  recollect  one  moment's  ruffle  between  us,  or  one  word 
which  betokened  anything  but  affection  or  love.  But  what  is  my  loss 
compared  with  that  of  her  husband  and  children  ?  She  came  as  near 
perfection  as  any  human  being  I  ever  knew.  It  was  not  that  she  had 


*  When  the  Queen  visited  Lord  Breadalbaue  in  1842  he  kindly  permitted 
my  brother  and  myself  (then  staying  in  the  neighbourhood)  to  shoot  the  first 
of  these  birds  that  had  been  killed  in  Scotland  for  a  hundred  years,  in  prepa- 
ration for  Her  Majesty's  dinner.  They  were  so  extremely  wild  that  it  took 
the  whole  day  to  get  six  shots.  We  could  just  see  them  vanishing  from  the 
tops  of  the  tall  larches  while  we  were  still  a  great  distance  from  them,  and 
we  could  ouly  kill  them  by  using  cartridges  of  No.  3. — ED. 


334  LIFE  AT  NORTHREPPS.  [CHAP.  xxiv. 

one  kind  of  merit  carried  to  a  great  height.  She  possessed  each  accom- 
plishment of  a  female  and  a  Christian  in  the  same  rare  degree.  Soft  and 
gentle  as  she  was,  she  was  no  less  stedfast,  firm,  and  immovable.  To 
these  moral  qualities,  to  the  most  winning  manners,  to  a  noble  counte- 
nance, to  the  utmost  refinement  and  delicacy,  she  joined  an  intellect  of 
a  very  high  order.  Her  views  on  every  subject  were  broad  and  capa- 
cious. There  was  nothing  petty  about  her.  *  *  *  She  laid  out  her 
talents  to  the  best  advantage,  and  never  was  idle.  She  read  a  great 
deal,  and  turned  all  her  reading  to  account,  as  her  Tracts  and  her  Hints 
on  early  Education  evince.  *  *  *  I  know  not  why  I  pour  out  all  this 
to  you,  but  my  mind  and  my  pen  can  turn  to  no  other  subject." 

After  spending  a  few  weeks  at  Renny  Hill,  Mr.  Buxton  re- 
turned to  Northrepps,  and  resumed  the  usual  tenor  of  his  life 
there  during  the  autumnal  months.  Every  year  seemed  to  in- 
crease his  delight  at  leaving  behind  him  the  cares  and  turmoils 
of  London;  and  often,  when  nearly  worn  out  by  the  fatigues  of 
the  session,  would  Swift's  lines  rise  to  his  lips : — 

"  Thus  in  a  sea  of  folly  toss'd, 
My  choicest  hours  of  life  are  lost ; 
Yet  always  wishing  to  retreat, 
Oh,  could  I  see  my  country  seat ! 
There,  leaning  near  a  gentle  brook, 
Sleep,  or  peruse  some  ancient  book ; 
And  there  in  sweet  oblivion  drown 
Those  cares  that  haunt  the  court  and  town. 
0  charming  noons  !  and  nights  divine  ! 
*  *  *  *  * 

Each  willing  to  be  pleased,  and  please, 
And  e'en  the  very  dogs  at  ease  !  " 

His  system  on  coming  into  the  country  was,  after  a  thorough 
arrangement  of  his  personal  affairs,  to  abandon  the  first  few 
weeks  to  the  relaxation  of  field  sports.  Towards  the  end  of 
October,  when  Mr.  Hoare  usually  left  Norfolk,  Mr.  Buxton 
resumed  his  settled  occupations,  and  was  strict  in  devoting  to 
them  the  best  hours  of  the  day.  He  thus  adapted  to  himself 
some  well-known  lines  of  Sir  Edward  Coke : — 

"  Secure  six  hours  for  thought,  and  one  for  prayer, 
Four  in  the  fields,  for  exercise  and  air, 
The  rest  let  converse,  sleep,  and  business  share." 

Six  hours  may  appear  a  large  proportion  of  his  day  to  give  to 


1836.]  POWER  OF  THOUGHT.  335 

reflection,  but  his  singular  power  of  sustained  and  concentrated 
thought  was  unquestionably  the  most  remarkable  feature  of  his 
mind.  Not,  indeed,  that  he  had  a  turn  for  meditation  upon 
speculative  or  philosophical  questions,  but  when  (as  very  often 
happened)  his  decision  was  required  upon  practical  matters  of  an 
intricate  character,  he  would  wrap  his  mind  in  reflection  upon 
them,  with  an  intensity  not  often  equalled.  lie  could  not,  like 
some,  take  a  question  by  storm,  and  in  a  moment  put  eveiy  doubt 
to  flight ;  he  seemed  to  give  every  difficulty  its  fullest  weight, 
and  to  balance  the  arguments  on  one  side  against  the  arguments 
on  the  other,  with  accurate  care ;  giving  them  such  close  atten- 
tion, that,  whatever  might  be  going  on  around 'him,  his  mind 
could  scarcely  be  diverted  by  anything  from  its  track.  When 
going  to  London  with  various  important  matters  on  his  hands,  he 
would  often  take  a  list  of  them  with  him,  and,  going  regularly 
through  it,  would  clench  his  mind  upon  them  one  after  the  other, 
till  by  dint  of  strenuous  thought,  he  had  mastered  all  their  bear- 
ings and  made  up  his  mind  for  ever.  Once  decided,  he  seldom 
turned  to  the  question  again.  His  character  may  be  said  to  have 
been  formed  of  a  durable  material,  so  that  an  impression  once 
effectually  made  seemed  never  to  be  obliterated,  scarcely  even 
to  lose  the  sharpness  of  its  edge,  by  the  lapse  of  years.*  This 
quality  was  seen  in  lesser  as  well  as  in  greater  matters,  and  in  no 
instance  was  it  more  displayed  than  in  the  important  point  of 
order.  The  love  of  order,  and  power  to  maintain  it,  had  cer- 
tainly not  been  given  him  by  nature ;  for  many  busy  years  of  his 
life,  his  study,  wherever  it  might  happen  to  be,  seemed  a  chaos 
of  confusion,  crowded  with  heaps  of  books  and  papers,  letters 
and  documents,  unsorted  and  unlabelled, — nor  would  he  allow 
any  one  to  touch  them.  But  in  the  year  1827  he  was  vividly 
impressed  by  a  casual  view  of  the  order  and  precision  maintained 
in  one  of  the  Government  offices.  After  the  illness  of  that  year, 
when  he  could  not  bear  mental  application,  a  favourable  oppor- 
tunity presented  itself  for  carrying  out  his  resolution  to  have 

*  In  early  life  he  was  often  unpunctual  in  his  attendance  at  church ;  but 
after  hearing  a  sermon  from  the  Kev.  Samuel  Crowther  on  the  duty  of  being 
present  at  the  beginning  of  public  worship,  and  joining  in  the  confession,  he 
was  thoroughly  convinced,  and  was  never  again  (as  he  said  himself  thirty 
years  after)  late  at  church  through  carelessness. 


336  HABITS  OF  ORDER.  [CHAP.  xxiv. 

his  "  papers  in  subjection."  For  three  weeks  he  devoted  him- 
self, with  his  domestic  helpers,  to  this  task  ;  every  document  in 
his  possession,  public  and  private,  was  looked  over,  folded  to  a 
certain  size,  with  its  contents  accurately  endorsed  upon  it,  and 
then  classified.  The  parcels  of  papers  were  tied  up  in  boards 
made  to  the  same  size,  legibly  marked  ;  the  more  copious  sub- 
jects, such  as  slavery,  filling  many  of  these  packets,  under 
different  subdivisions.  Pigeon-holes  in  his  bookcases  and  other 
expedients  were  provided,  by  which  these  packets  were  so  placed 
as  to  be  instantly  accessible.  The  work  once  accomplished,  he 
never  relaxed  in  it  again ;  from  this  time  to  the  end  of  his  life 
every  paper  that  came  into  his  hands  was  subjected  to  the  same 
regulations,  and  his  various  secretaries  well  remember  the  playful 
but  unremitting  strictness  with  which  he  required  the  execution 
of  his  plans  in  this  respect.  The  same  principle  extended  to  all 
his  pecuniary  affairs.  He  had  some  unalterable  rules  about 
money  matters,  which  preserved  him  from  the  dangers  that 
might  otherwise  have  resulted  from  his  natural  tendency  to  free 
expenditure.  In  his  private  accounts  he  was  exact,  but  not 
minute ;  and  once  a-year  he  thoroughly  investigated  the  whole 
state  of  his  property.  At  the  beginning  of  his  private  ledger 
the  following  sentences  were  written  : — 

"  '  Quid  refert  igitur  quantis  jumenta  fatiget 

Porticibus,  quanta  nemorum  vertetur  in  umbra1, 
Jugera  quot  vicina  foro,  quas  emerit  aedes  ? 
Nemo  malus  felix.' — Juvenal,  Sat.  4. 

"  '  What  need  so  much  provision,  for  so  short  a  journey?' — Hopkins, 
vol.  iv.  p.  57. 

"  '  What  a  nothing  it  is  that  we  make  so  much  of,  and  follow  so 
greedily,  and  hold  so  fast!' — Baxter,  vol.  iii.  p.  429. 

"  '  To  work  our  own  contentment,  we  should  not  labour  so  much  to 
increase  our  substance,  as  to  moderate  our  desires.' — Bishop  Sanderson. 

"  '  He  that  getteth  riches,  and  not  by  right,  shall  leave  them  in  the 
midst  of  his  days,  and  at  his  end  shall  he  a  fool.' — Jeremiah,  chap, 
xvii.  verse  11." 

He  was  an  excellent  man  of  business,  handling  minute  details 
with  ease  and  unfailing  patience,  yet  always  keeping  his  eyr 
fixed  upon  their  general  scope  and  bearing.  Before  undertaking 
anything,  he  would  ponder  over  the  matter  for  days  together, 


1836.]  LOVE  OF  READING.  337 

weighing  it  and  examining  it  again  and  again  before  he  put  his 
shoulder  to  the  wheel.  But  though  he  was  too  deliberate  to  be 
a  vehement  man,  he  was  in  the  highest  degree  energetic.  He 
feared  neither  fatigue  nor  labour.  Where  he  gave  his  mind,  he 
gave  the  whole  of  it.  When  once  resolved  to  act,  he  threw  his 
whole  heart  and  soul  into  the  attainment  of  the  object  before 
him ;  every  wish  and  feeling  became  swept  into  the  vortex  ; 
nothing  else  seemed  capable  of  attracting  his  interest,  nor  would 
he  leave  it  till  it  was  done,  and  done  well. 

Except  that  his  hospitalities  were  more  bounded  by  want  of 
room,  his  life  at  Northrepps  was  much  the  same  as  it  had  been 
at  Cromer  Hall,  domestic,  yet  social.  The  mornings  were 
spent,  as  has  been  said,  in  his  study  or  with  his  gun ;  and  after 
dinner  he  usually  lay  upon  the  sofa,  while  some  one  read  aloud 
to  him  from  the  passing  literature  of  the  day.  Reading,  in  fact, 
filled  up  every  leisure  hour ;  he  never  tired  of  listening  to  it. 
"  Well,  what  shall  we  read  ?"  was  the  first  question  upon  his 
entering  the  drawing-room ;  and  he  paid  the  closest  attention, 
being  always  able  to  repeat  the  words  that  terminated  the  passage 
read  on  the  previous  evening.  He  had  a  great  taste  for  biogra- 
phy, perhaps  still  more  for  works  of  humour ;  but  especially  he 
had,  as  he  said  himself,  an  "  insatiable  thirst  for  military  adven- 
ture." His  love  of  poetry  has  been  alluded  to  before,  and  he 
endeavoured  to  cultivate  the  same  taste  in  thos.e  about  him. 
Every  Sunday  evening  his  children  were  expected  to  repeat  a 
passage  of  poetry,  and  he  always  required  the  utmost  fluency 
and  accuracy  in  the  repetition :  he  insisted  also  on  the  reciter 
looking  him  full  in  the  face  while  going  through  the  task.  He 
distributed  his  rewards  with  his  usual  open-handed  generosity, 
and  sometimes  his  guests  were  playfully  invited  to  join  in  the 
exercise,  and  received  their  half-crown  with  the  rest.  His  fre- 
quent quotations  (especially  from  Shakspeare,  Pope,  and  Dryden) 
showed  how  thoroughly  his  mind  was  imbued  with  the  writings 
of  the  principal  English  poets.  Johnson's  '  Vanity  of  Human 
Wishes '  was  a  favourite  with  him.  On  the  well-known  lines — 

"  In  life's  last  scene,  what  prodigies  arise, 

I  Fears  of  the  brave,  and  follies  of  the  wise" — 

"  I  take  that,"  he  remarked,  "  to  be  one  of  the  truest  things 

z 


338  DELIGHT  IN  POETRY.  [CHAP.  xxiv. 

ever  said  in  poetry ;  but,"  he  added,  "  the  word  '  last '  should  be 
omitted.  Life  is  crowded  with  '  fears  of  the  brave,  and  follies 
of  the  wise.'  ' 

With  Cowper's  poems  he  became  acquainted  somewhat  late  in 
life.  He  was  with  a  shooting  party  at.  Marham  (the  seat  of  Mr. 
Villebois,  in  Norfolk),  when,  being  driven  in  by  rain,  and 
thoroughly  wetted,  he  retreated  to  his  room.  It  happened  that 
there  was  no  book  there  but  a  volume  of  Cowper's  poems.  He 
read  them  for  hours,  and  ever  afterwards  took  the  greatest  delight 
in  them.  For  more  modern  poetry  he  had  less  taste,  but  to  that 
of  Sir  Walter  Scott  he  would  listen  again  and  again  with  the 
keenest  enjoyment.  When  tea  was  finished,  he  usually  walked 
into  his  study,  and  returned  after  a  time  with  any  letters  or 
papers  connected  with  his  undertakings  that  he  might  have 
received  or  written  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  the  reading  of 
these,  with  the  discussions  upon  them,  which  he  encouraged, 
usually  occupied  the  remainder  of  the  evening.  In  all  Mission- 
ary enterprises  he  took  the  liveliest  interest,  listening  with 
avidity  to  intelligence  of  their  progress.  Many  private  commu- 
nications of  this  nature  were  also  made  to  him  ;  especially  from 
Africa  and  the  West  Indies.  He  annually  made  himself  com- 
plete master  of  the  affairs  and  proceedings  of  the  Bible  Society, 
his  fidelity  to  which  never  wavered.  "  I  am  ready  to  confess," 
he  once  wrote,  "  that  there  is  no  cause,  not  even  Emancipation 
itself,  to  which  I  would  more  readily  give  a  helping  hand  than 
to  the  Bible  Society." 

Some  mention  ought  to  be  made  of  the  part  he  took  in  the 
establishment  of  the  London  City  Mission.  He  was  not  alarmed 
at  the  novelty  and  boldness  of  the  experiment ;  its  catholic  cha- 
racter was  completely  to  his  taste,  and  it  always  received  his 
adherence  and  generous  support.  On  its  first  foundation  by 
Mr.  David  Nasmith,  in  September  1835,  he  wrote  to  that 
gentleman : — 

"  Dear  Sir, — I  have  only  reached  home  within  these  five  minutes ; 
but,  in  order  to  save  the  post,  which  is  just  starting,  I  write  at  once  to 
say  that  I  will,  with  pleasure,  accept  the  office  of  treasurer;  and  only 
hope  that  you  are  right  and  I  am  wrong  as  to  the  propriety  of  the 
selection." 


1836.J  HIS  DOMESTIC  CHARACTER.  339 

This  office  he  held  till  his  death. 

His  family  were  early  trained  to  take  an  interest  in  his  pur- 
suits, and  to  share  in  his  hopes  and  fears ;  he  encouraged  the 
remarks  and  the  criticisms  even  of  its  younger  members,  and 
would  accept  from  them  the  most  trivial  assistance.  Indeed,  he 
seemed  to  have  a  strong  feeling  of  personal  gratitude  to  any  one 
who  would  share  his  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  his  black 
clients.  "  From  the  time  that  I  became  closely  connected  with 
him,"  writes  Mr.  Johnston,  "  I  saw  how  much  of  his  time  and 
mind  were  given  to  his  great  objects,  in  his  domestic  circle,  as 
well  as  in  his  study.  He  had  a  happy  art  of  imbuing  all  those 
around  him  with  his  own  feelings,  and  of  inducing  them  to  give 
him  their  most  strenuous  aid.  He  was,  indeed,  a  delightful 
chief  to  work  for,  so  stimulating,  yet  so  indulgent,  and  so  ready 
to  repay,  with  lavish  liberality,  every  effort,  however  trifling, 
made  on  behalf  of  those  to  whom  he  was  devoting  not  labour 
only,  but  life  itself.  *  *  *  His  generosity,  in  fact,  was  un- 
bounded —  he  seemed  to  watch  for  opportunities  of  heaping 
kindness  upon  those  he  loved." 

The  extreme  tenderness  of  his  feelings  was  especially  shown 
if  any  of  them  were  in  sickness  or  distress ;  or  when  he  received 
them  again  under  his  roof  after  any  lengthened  absence,- — 
"  Never,  I  think,"  observed  one,  "  was  such  a  welcome  seen  on 
any  human  face."  His  papers  bear  witness  to  his  unremitting, 
untiring  "  labours  in  prayer  "  for  the  members  of  his  family ; 
they  are  individually  mentioned,  on  every  occasion,  with  dis- 
criminating affection,  and  striking,  indeed,  was  the  solemnity  and 
the  fervour  with  which  he  poured  out  his  supplications. 

As  a  parent  he  was  remarkably  indulgent :  a  trivial  instance 
may  be  quoted  from  one  of  his  letters  to  Mrs.  Buxton  : — 

"  I  write  now  about  the  coursing  to-morrow.  As  did  not 

behave  well  and  kindly,  you  were  quite  right  in  deciding  to  deprive 
him  of  the  sport  to-morrow  :  but,  as  it  is  so  very  great  a  pleasure  to  me 
to  think  of  him  as  happy  and  enjoying  himself,  I  hope  you  will  for  this 
time  excuse  him,  and  that  he  will  make  a  point  of  repaying  the  indul- 
gence by  very  good  behaviour.  Thus  we  shall  think  of  him  as  happy 
and  good  too."* 

*  In  order  that  this  letter  might  be  in  time  for  the  coursing  he  sent  a  man 
over  with  it  from  Norwich,  a  distance  of  20  miles. 

z  2 


340  CONDUCT  AS  A  FATHER.  [CHAP.  xxiv. 

Nothing  was  more  remarkable  than  the  activity  of  his  kind- 
ness in  small  things  :  the  pains  he  would  take  to  give  pleasure. 
In  the  midst  of  his  business  he  would  help  his  children  to  find 
their  lost  playthings,  or  go  out  himself  to  buy  what  they  might 
want ;  nor  did  they  fear  to  interrupt  his  studies  with  the  most 
trifling  requests.  At  the  time  of  his  hardest  work  in  London, 
he  would  often,  on  his  way  to  the  House,  buy  pictures,  and 
conceal  them  in  his  waste-paper  basket,  to  enjoy  the  glee  of  his 
younger  children,  and  their  daily  renewed  astonishment,  at  dis- 
covering them  there  in  the  morning. 

His  manner  to  them,  as  they  grew  older,  is  shown  in  the 
following  casual  mention  of  it  by  one  of  his  sons,  then  a  mere 
boy : — 

"  I  cannot  help  being  struck  with  the  exquisite  tenderness  of  heart 
which  my  father  always  displays ;  his  unwillingness  to  debar  us  from 
pleasure,  the  zeal  with  which  he  will  make  any  sacrifice  or  take  any 
trouble  to  gratify  us,  is  most  surprising.  One  little  example  to-day 
will  describe  his  whole  conduct.  He,  being  really  unwell,  was  lying 
nearly  asleep  on  the  sofa,  and  observing  me  upon  another,  with  my 
feet  hanging  over  the  side,  he  quietly  got  up,  placed  a  chair  under 
them,  and  then  lay  down  again.  His  whole  appearance,  with  his  worn 
and  thoughtful  face,  is  so  much  that  of  a  man  whom  one  would  approach 
with  some  sensation  of  awe,  that  these  small,  though  exquisite  acts  of 
tenderness  are  the  more  unexpected,  and,  consequently,  the  more 
pleasing." 

He  occasionally,  but  very  rarely,  gave  direct  admonitions. 
The  following  letter  was  addressed  to  one  of  his  sons  on  entering 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge  : — 

"  My  dear , — It  is  always  a  disappointment  to  me  to  be  absent 

when  my  boys  are  at  home ;  but  I  particularly  regretted  being  away 
last  week,  as  I  think  I  might  have  done  something  for  your  shooting 
before  you  went  to  College.  I  need  not,  I  hope,  tell  you  of  the 
extreme  interest  I  take  in  the  launch  of  your  little  skiff  on  the  ocean  of 
life,  and  how  heartily  I  desire  that  '  soft  airs  and  gentle  heavings  of  the 
wave  '  may  accompany  your  voyage  ;  and  that  you  may  be  safely  piloted 
into  the  serene  and  lovely  harbour  prepared  by  the  love  of  God.  It  is 
not  often  that  I  trouble  my  children  with  advice  ;  and  never,  I  believe, 
unless  I  have  something  particular  to  say.  At  the  present  time  I  think 
I  have  that  to  say  which  is  deeply  important  to  your  success  in  the 


1836.]  LETTER  TO  ONE  OF  HIS  SONS.  341 

business  of  life ;  nay,  its  effects  may  extend  beyond  the  grave.  You 
are  now  a  man,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  you  must  be  prepared  to  hold 
a  very  inferior  station  in  life  to  that  which  you  might  fill,  unless  you 
resolve,  with  God's  help,  that  whatever  you  do,  you  will  do  it  well; 
unless  you  make  up  your  mind  that  it  is  better  to  accomplish  perfectly 
a  very  small  amount  of  work  than  to  half-do  ten  times  as  much.  What 
you  do  know,  know  thoroughly.  There  are  few  instances  in  modern 
times  of  a  rise  equal  to  that  of  Sir  Edward  Sugden.  After  one  of  the 
Weymouth  elections  I  was  shut  up  with  him  in  a  carriage  for  twenty- 
four  hours.  I  ventured  to  ask  him  what  was  the  secret  of  his  success  ; 
his  answer  was,  '  I  resolved,  when  beginning  to  read  law,  to  make 
everything  I  acquired  perfectly  my  own,  and  never  to  go  to  a  second 
thing  till  I  had  entirely  accomplished  the  first.  Many  of  my  com- 
petitors read  as  much  in  a  day  as  I  read  in  a  week  ;  but,  at  the  end  of 
twelve  months,  my  knowledge  was  as  fresh  as  on  the  day  it  was  acquired, 
while  theirs  had  glided  away  from  their  recollection.' 

"  Let  the  same  masculine  determination  to  act  to  some  purpose  go 
through  your  life.  Do  the  day's  work  to-day.  At  college  I  was 
extremely  intimate  with  two  young  men,  both  of  extraordinary  talents. 
The  one  was  always  ahead  of  his  tutor ;  he  was  doing  this  year  the 
work  of  next  year,  and,  although  upon  many  parts  of  the  subject  he 
knew  more  than  his  examiner,  yet  he  contrived  to  answer  what  was 
actually  proposed  to  him  most  scandalously ; — while  the  other,  by 
knowing  perfectly  what  it  was  his  business  to  know  (though  not  con- 
fining himself  to  that),  never,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection,  failed  to 
answer  any  question  that  was  put  to  him. 

"  Again,  be  punctual.  I  do  not  mean  the  merely  being  in  time  for 
lectures,  &c. ;  but  I  mean  that  spirit  out  of  which  punctuality  grows, 
that  love  of  accuracy,  precision,  and  vigour,  which  makes  the  efficient 
man  ;  the  determination  that  what  you  have  to  do  shall  be  done,  in  spite 
of  all  petty  obstacles,  and  finished  off  at  once,  and  finally.  I  believe  I 
have  told  you  the  story  of  Nelson  and  his  coachmaker,  but  you  must 
hear  it  once  more.  When  he  was  on  the  eve  of  departure  for  one  of  his 
great  expeditions,  the  coachmaker  said  to  him,  '  The  carriage  shall  be 
at  the  door  punctually  at  six  o'clock.'  '  A  quarter  before,'  said  Nelson  ; 
'  I  have  always  been  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  my  time,  and  it  has 
made  a  man  of  me.' 

"  How  often  have  I  seen  persons  who  would  have  done  well  if  they 
would  but  have  acted  up  to  their  own  sense  of  duty  !  Thankful  I  am 
to  believe  that  conscience  is  the  established  ruler  over  your  actions  ;  but 
I  want  to  enlarge  its  province,  and  to  make  it  condescend  to  these, 
which  may  appear  to  you  minor  matters.  Have  a  conscience  to  be 
fitting  yourself  for  life,  in  whatever  you  do,  and  in  the  management  of 


342  LETTER  TO  ONE  OF  HIS  SONS.          [CHAP.  xxiv. 

your  mind  and  powers.  In  Scripture  phrase,  '  Gird  up  the  loins  of  your 
mind.'  Sheridan  was  an  example  of  the  want  of  this  quality.  In  early 
life  he  got  into  a  grand  quarrel  and  duel,  the  circumstances  of  which 
were  to  his  credit  (always  excepting  the  fighting  the  duel),  but  they 
were  misrepresented:  he  came  to  town,  resolved  to  set  the  British 
public  right,  and  as  Perry,  the  editor  of  the  '  Morning  Chronicle,"  was 
his  friend,  he  resolved  to  do  so  through  the  channel  of  that  paper.  It 
was  agreed  between  them  that  Sheridan,  under  a  fictitious  name,  should 
write  a  history  of  the  affair,  as  it  had  been  misrepresented,  and  that  he 
should  subsequently  reply  to  it  in  his  own  name,  giving  the  facts  of  the 
case.  The  first  part  he  accomplished,  and  there  appeared  in  the 
'Chronicle'  a  bitter  article  against  him,  written,  in  fact,  by  himself; 
but  he  could  never  find  time  to  write  the  answer,  and  it  never  was 
written  :  '  The  slothful  man  roasteth  not  that  which  he  took  in  hunting.' 
"All  the  men  who  have  done  things  well  in  lite  have  been  remark- 
able for  decision  of  character.  Tacitus  describes  Julius  Caesar  as 
'  monstrum  incredibilis  celeritatis  atque  audaciae  ;'  and  Bonaparte, 
having  published  to  all  the  world  the  day  on  which  he  should  leave 
Paris  to  meet  Wellington  at  Waterloo,  did  actually  start  on  that  day ; 
but  he  had  so  arranged  matters,  and  travelled  with  such  expedition,  that 
he  took  the  British  army  by  surprise. 

"  The  punctuality  which  I  desire  for  you  involves  and  comprehends 
the  exact  arrangement  of  your  time.  It  is  a  matter  on  which  much 
depends ;  fix  how  much  time  you  will  spend  upon  each  object,  and 
adhere  all  but  obstinately  to  your  plan.  '  Method,'  says  Cecil,  '  is  like 
packing  things  in  a  box  ;  a  good  packer  will  get  in  half  as  much  again 
as  a  bad  one.'  My  letter,  I  see,  is  swelling  into  a  sermon,  but  the  day 
is  fine,  and  Larry  is  waiting,  so  I  must  bring  it  to  a  close.  Ponder  well 
what  I  have  said,  and  call  on  God  to  help  you  in  arraying  yourself  in 
the  qualities  which  I  desire.  If  you  mean  to  be  the  effective  man,  you 
must  set  about  it  earnestly,  and  at  once.  No  man  ever  yet  '  yawned  it 
into  being  with  a  wish  ;'  you  must  make  arrangements  for  it;  you  must 
watch  it ;  you  must  notice  when  you  fail,  and  you  must  keep  some  kind 
of  journal  of  your  failures. 

"  But,  whatever  negligence  may  creep  into  your  studies,  or  into  your 
pursuits  of  pleasure  or  of  business,  let  there  be  one  point,  at  least,  on 
which  you  are  always  watchful,  always  alive  ;  I  mean  in  the  performance 
of  your  religious  duties.  Let  nothing  induce  you,  even  for  a  day,  to 
neglect  the  perusal  of  Scripture.  You  know  the  value  of  prayer;  it  is 
precious  beyond  all  price.  Never,  never  neglect  it. 

"  Well,  my  dear  boy,  or  man  if  you  please,  if  I  have  been  somewhat 
hard  upon  you  in  parts  of  this  letter,  yon  must  excuse  me,  remembering 
that  few  have  a  father  so  deeply  and  tenderly  attached  as  you  have ;  or 


18.36.]  ANECDOTES.  343 

one,  in  general,  more  blind  to  defects,  or  more  keen-eyed  in  the  discern- 
ment of  excellencies. 

"  Your  most  affectionate  friend  and  father, 

"T.  FOWEIX  BUXTON." 

Mr.  Buxton,  as  we  have  noticed  before,  and  as  appears  in  this 
letter,  was  very  fond  of  anecdotes,  both  of  hearing  and  telling 
them.  The  following  were  some  of  his  parliamentary  remi- 
niscences, as  taken  down  by  one  of  his  friends. 

Mr.  Buxton. — "  I  was  several  years  in  Parliament  with  Lord  Castle- 
reagh.  He  had  some  excellent  qualities  for  a  leader,  and  some  very 
much  the  reverse.  His  temper  was  admirable,  but  then  in  speaking  he 
was  strangely  obscure,  and  sometimes  made  the  most  queer  blunders,  so 
that  occasionally,  in  the  midst  of  a  pathetic  speech,  he  would  say  some- 
thing which  would  make  the  whole  House  burst  out  laughing. 

"  Huskisson  gave  me  a  melancholy  account  of  Castlereagh's  last  days. 
He  had  taken  up  the  idea  that  none  of  his  colleagues  would  speak  to  him. 
It  made  him  miserable,  and  nothing  could  drive  it  from  his  mind.  At 
length  he  was  obliged  to  give  a  Cabinet  dinner,  but  he  was  confident 
that  none  of  the  ministers  would  come,  and  most  unhappy  the  idea  made 
him.  Huskisson  was  the  first  to  arrive,  and  he  was  received  with  such 
extravagant  warmth  and  cordiality  as  were  quite  incomprehensible  to 
him.  The  rest  came,  and  everything  went  on  smoothly,  till  at  last  he 
counted  them  and  said,  '  There  is  one  too  few — Palmerston  is  not  here : 
the  others  are  all  my  private  friends,  but  you  see  Palmerston  won't 
come.'  His  gloom  instantly  returned,  and  he  did  not  speak  again  the 
whole  evening.  A  day  or  two  after  he  put  an  end  to  his  life.  Clerk 
says  that  no  man  would  shoot  himself  if  he  took  two  doses  of  physic 
beforehand  ;  and  probably  if  poor  Castlereagh  had  consulted  a  doctor,  he 
might  have  been  alive  now. 

"  Nothing  ever  was  so  delightful  as  to  hear  Canning  make  a  fine  rich 
poetical  speech,  and  then  Tiernoy  pull  it  to  pieces.  But  Tierney  has 
no  name,  wonderful  as  he  was.  That  is  because  he  never  did  anything  ; 
but  to  be  sure  his  talents  were  surpassing.  He  had  the  most  delicate 
wit :  everybody  we  hear  now  is  coarse,  blunt,  and  gross,  compared  to 
him.  The  House  was  extremely  fond  of  him;  let  him  rise  when  he 
would,  it  would  listen  to  him  with  eagerness.  He  deserted  his  party, 
and  joined  Lord  Sidmouth's  government  at  last.  It  was,  however,  in- 
scribed on  his  tomb,  or  proposed  to  be  so,  '  He  lived  without  an  office, 
and  died  without  a  debt.' 

"  Canning  could  be  extremely  entertaining  too,  but  his  speeches  were 
evidently  prepared  and  polished.  He  was  the  first  man  I  ever  heard 


344  ANECDOTES.  [CHAP.  xxiv. 

speak  in  the  House,  and  I  remember  asking  my  neighbour  who  he  was. 
There  was,  also,  when  I  first  went  into  Parliament,  another  man  of 
remarkable  talents — Mr.  Ward,  afterwards  Lord  Dudley  and  Ward. 
He,  too,  finished  his  speeches  down  to  the  minutest  comma,  and 
he  only  made  one  or  two  in  a  year.  You  know  the  epigram  upon 
him  on  its  being  said  he  was  a  man  of  no  heart : 

'  You  say  Ward  has  no  heart ;  but  I  deny  it, 
He  has  a  heart — and  gets  his  speeches  by  it.' 

"  The  first  time  I  heard  Chalmers  was  in  a  chapel  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river.  It  was  so  crowded  that  Canning  and  Wilberforce  had  to 
climb  in  at  the  window.  Seven  years  after  I  heard  Canning  make  that 
sermon  the  substance  of  a  speech  on  the  Catholic  question. 

"  A  certain  member  of  Parliament  changed  his  opinions  rather  rapidly 

after  losing  a  place  in  the  Government.  Whereupon  my  friend  S 

quoted  Lord  Bacon's  words,  '  The  two  great  alterants  of  human  opinion 
are  time  and  place.'  '  Now,'  said  he,  '  in  this  case  time  there  has  been 
none,  so  *  *  *  ,'  but  the  remainder  of  the  sentence  was  drowned 
in  the  laughter  and  applause  of  the  House. 

"  Sir  Robert  Peel's  Currency  Act  is  said  to  have  enormously  increased 
the  national  debt.  It  certainly  was  one  of  the  boldest  measures  that 
have  been  done  in  our  time,  but  probably  the  author  of  it  scarcely  fore- 
saw the  whole  result.  But  it  was  perhaps  an  act  of  justice.  When 
Attwood  brought  forward  his  bill  for  its  repeal,  Mr.  Grote  said  he  was 
like  the  unjust  steward  in  the  parable :  'How  much  owest  thou?  An 
hundred  measures  of  oil — then  take  thy  bill,  sit  down  quickly,  and  write 
fifty.' 

"  When  Peel's  Currency  Bill  was  passing,  Hudson  Gurney  moved  an 
amendment  in  which  six  members  only  supported  him ;  of  whom  I  was 
one,  and  Mr.  Wodehouse  another.  Three  days  afterwards,  however, 
the  ministers,  who  had  reconsidered  the  question,  came  down  to  the 
House,  and  carried  that  very  amendment  by  a  large  majority.  So  we 
received  the  title  of  'the  seven  wise  men.' 

"  I  lately  dined  in  company  with  Sir  James  Scarlett.  I  asked  him 
what  was  the  secret  of  his  pre-eminent  success  as  an  advocate.  He 
replied,  that  he  took  care  to  press  home  the  one  principal  point  of  the 
case,  without  paying  much  regard  to  the  others.  He  also  said  that  he 
knew  the  secret  of  being  short.  I  find,  said  he,  that  when  I  exceed 
half  an  hour,  I  am  always  doing  mischief  to  my  client:  if  I  drive  into 
the  heads  of  the  jury  important  matter,  I  drive  out  matter  more  impor- 
tant, which  I  had  previously  lodged  there." 

One  event  of  the  year  1836  had  been  the  marriage  of  Mr. 


183G.]  LETTER  TO  MRS.  BUXTON.  345 

Buxton's  eldest  son  to  Catherine,  second  daughter  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Gurney. 

Soon  afterwards,  he  writes  to  Mrs.  Buxton,  from  Bellfield  : — 

"It  is  now  five  o'clock;  we  dine  at  half-past;  the  interval,  my 
dearest  wife,  is  reserved  for  you.  I  have  much  enjoyed  being  here;  I 
went  off  from  London  very  comfortably,  having  the  coach  to  myself 
almost  the  whole  way.  I  slept  the  first  stage  and  the  last,  so  I  had 
from  seven  in  the  morning  till  seven  at  night  to  read  and  reflect,  and  I 
was  very  happy,  and  I  feel  very  strongly,  perhaps  never  so  strongly, 
that  mercy  and  goodness  have  followed  me  all  the  days  of  my  life. 
Others  may  deny  that  there  is  a  special  Providence,  but  it  is  too  bare- 
faced a  lie  for  me.  What  kept  me  from  the  brewery  at  fourteen,  sent 
me  to  college,  and  made  me  avail  myself  of  its  advantages?  What  led 
me  to  Earlham.  *  *  *  What  placed  me  in  so  prosperous  a  business, 
without  which  I  never  could  have  thought  of  public  life  ?  What  placed 
me  under  Pratt's  ministry,  where  my  eyes  were  first  opened  to  real 
truth  ;  and  what  sent  severe  illness  to  confirm  and  ripen  the  impression 
made  at  Wheeler  Chapel  ?  What  placed  me  in  Parliament,  and  kept 
me  there  for  nearly  twenty  years,  in  spite  of  almost  desperate  proba- 
bilities against  me  ?  What  made  my  mother  sow  the  seeds  of  abhor- 
rence of  slavery  in  my  mind  ;  and  dear  Priscilla  exhort  me  to  undertake 
the  subject,  when  she  was  dying,  and  Wilberforce  commit  it  to  me, 
when  he  became  unable  to  continue  the  task  ?  I  could  go  on  till  the 
dinner-bell  to-morrow  evening,  recounting  the  instances  in  which  I  have 
seen  the  finger  of  a  blessed  and  divine  Providence. 

"  I  looked  yesterday  and  to-day,  in  walking  through  this  serene  place, 
at  the  present  posture  of  our  affairs,  and  I  could  see  only  cheering  pros- 
pects, and  causes  of  deep  thankfulness.  How  happy  this  connexion  of 
Edward's  !  I  feel  the  kindness  of  Providence  in  giving  me,  in  a  new 
child,  the  very  person  I  most  like  ;  *  *  *  and  then  what  confi- 
dence I  have  that  it  will  be  blessed  !  I  sat  still  and  prayed,  and  a  loving 
Providence  arranged  it  all.  Then  I  turn  to  A.,  and  P.,  who  is  rich  in 
the  things  her  happiness  requires.  If  dinner  would  but  wait,  I  would 
tell  you  how  happy  I  felt  about  the  three  younger  ones.  But  in  none 
have  I  had  a  greater  sense  of  comfort  and  of  God's  mercy,  than  in  one 
who,  though  not  here  to  cheer  us,  is  in  the  regions  of  perfect  bliss.  I 
can  contemplate  his  state,  and  the  dealings  of  Providence  with  us,  as 
concerns  him,  and  be  very  thankful,  and  very  sure,  in  feeling  as  well  as 
in  reason,  that  all  is  right. — There  goes  the  bell." 

In  his  often-repeated  visits  to  Bellfield,  he  showed  himself  in 
quite  a  new  character.  His  uncle,  who  was  very  fond  of  him, 


346  LETTER  TO  HIS  UNCLE.  [CHAP.  xxiv. 

and  towards  whom  he  felt  like  a  son,  treated  him,  to  the  last,  as 
quite  a  young  man,  and  it  was  amusing  to  observe  the  happy 
mixture  of  deference  and  decision,  playfulness  and  respect,  with 
which  his  uncle's  continual  admonitions,  especially  with  regard 
to  his  health,  were  received  by  one  who  was  generally  somewhat 
impatient  of  the  uncalled-for  interference  of  others. 

From  his  numerous  letters  to  his  uncle,  the  following  may  be 
given : — 

TO  CHARLES  BUXTON,  ESQ.,  BELLFIELD. 

"  Northrepps,  December  31, 

Eleven  o'clock  at  Night. 

"  My  dear  Uncle, — In  the  first  place,  as  the  old  year  is  just  going,  I 
must  wish  that  the  new  one  may  be  a  really  happy  one  to  you  and  my 
aunt.  I  hope  that  you  both  will  pass  through  it  in  health  and  comfort. 
No  nephew  had  ever  more  reason  for  this  sincere  wish  than  myself,  and 
few  nephews  have  so  truly  desired  it.  The  termination  of  one  year 
and  the  beginning  of  another  is  always  a  time  of  much  reflection  with 
me.  I  look  back  to  the  past  year,  and  see  innumerable  errors  and  sins  ; 
and  forward  to  the  coming  year,  and  consider  that,  before  it  terminates, 
I  ma)  be  called  to  judgment.  Eternity  is  at  hand  with  us  all.  Happy 
they,  and  only  they,  who  know  that  they  have  no  merit  which  can  save 
them,  who  look  for  mercy  only  through  Christ,  who  repent  of  past  sins, 
desire  to  do  God's  will  while  on  earth,  and  believe  on  Christ,  that  he 
can  and  will  save  those  who  obey  him,  and  trust  in  him.  I  know  you 
are  never  offended  by  my  talking  on  such  subjects,  and  they  naturally 
spring  up  in  my  mind  just  as  a  new  year  is  coming." 

He  was  at  all  times  deeply  anxious  for  the  religious  interests 
of  those  with  whom  he  was  in  any  way  connected,  and  occasion- 
ally he  felt  it  his  duty  to  express  his  opinions  to  them  on  the 
subject.  The  following  letter  was  thus  addressed  to  a  friend, 
much  his  senior  ;  and  it  is  evident  that  nothing  but  strong  con- 
scientious feeling  could  have  induced  him  to  write  it : — 

"  I  am  persuaded  you  will  forgive  me  for  saying  to  you  what  has 
been  upon  my  mind  for  some  time.  I  have  very  much  wished  to  have 
some  conversation  with  you  on  religious  subjects,  but  from  various 
causes,  chiefly,  perhaps,  my  own  want  of  courage,  I  have  hitherto  left 
you  without  unburthening  my  mind  of  the  few  things  I  wished  to  say. 
As  you  were,  however,  so  kind  as  to  say  that  the  hint  I  dropped  was 
not  lost  upon  you,  and  that  you  had  of  late  read  through  the  New  Tes- 


1836.]  LETTER  TO  AN  AGED  FRIEND.  347 

lament  more  than  once,  I  must  venture  to  add  something  to  that  hint. 
I  trust,  then,  that  the  great  and  capital  truth  of  Christianity  is  always 
before  your  mind,  viz.  that  there  is  salvation  in  no  other  way  than 
through  the  atonement  of  Christ.  The  whole  New  Testament  is  a 
declaration  that  in  ourselves  we  are  sinful,  and  deserving  nothing  but 
condemnation ;  but  that  the  Son  of  God  bore  the  punishment  of  our 
offences,  and  that,  by  his  merits,  those  who  believe  on  him  are  delivered. 
Faith,  then,  in  Christ,  is  all  in  all.  With  it,  however  guilty  we  may 
have  been,  we  shall  be  safe  ;  and  without  it,  no  virtue,  no  moral  excel- 
lence, nothing  in  the  shape  of  meritorious  works,  will  suffice.  You 
will  find  the  New  Testament  full  of  these  two  simple,  but  all-important 
doctrines,  viz.  our  sinfulness,  and  salvation  through  Christ ;  and  he  who 
knows  them,  knows  almost  all  that  is  essential.  But  then,  those  only 
who  believe  in  Christ  shall  have  the  benefit  of  the  pardon  and  reconcili- 
ation which  he  came  from  heaven  to  obtain  for  us.  '  No  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father  but  by  me.' — John  xiv.  6.  St.  Paul  has  explained  his 
faith  in  Philippians  iii.  7,  8,  9  ;  and  in  Titus  ii.  11-14 :  '  There  is  none 
other  name  given  among  men,  whereby  we  may  be  saved,  but  that  of 
Christ  alone.'  '  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?x  said  the  gaoler  to  the 
Apostles  :  Acts  xvi.  30.  The  plain  unequivocal  answer  is,  '  Believe  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.'  It  would  be  easy  to 
multiply  texts  to  the  same  effect,  for  Scripture  is  full  of  them.  Faith 
in  Christ,  then,  as  the  Son  of  God,  and  as  delivering  us  from  our  sins, 
being  essential,  how  is  it  to  be  obtained  ?  It  is  to  be  obtained  only 
through  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  it  is  said,  over  and  over 
again,  that  if  we  pray  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  will  be  given  us  ;  that  is 
the  promise:  Luke  xi.  13.  Then  comes  the  point  which  1  venture  to 
urge,  prayer  to  God  for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  teach  us  all  the  truths 
essential  to  our  salvation ;  to  reveal  Christ  to  our  understandings,  to 
impart  to  us  that  holiness  which  is  required  of  his  disciples,  to  give  us 
true  repentance,  and  to  prepare  us  for  the  day  of  judgment.  I  am 
persuaded  you  will  forgive  me  for  thus  unburthening  my  mind.  II  is 
some  effort  to  me  to  do  so,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  ascribe  it  to  its  true 
motive." 

As  usual,  the  year  was  closed  by  him  with  an  enumeration  of 
the  mercies  received  during  its  course.  To  his  list  of  domestic 
blessings,  he  now  adds  his  little  grandson,  who,  he  says,  "  is  a 
source  of  delight,  arid  infinite  amusement." 

He  proceeds : — 

"  The  accounts  from  the  West  Indies  of  the  conduct  of  our  negroes 
are  gratifying  in  the  last  degree;  so  that  that  subject,  which  for  eleven 
years  was  a  source  of  daily  disquietude,  is  now  the  refreshment  and 


348  DESCRIPTION  OF  MR.  BUXTON.        [CHAP.  xxiv. 

solace  to  which  I  continually  turn.     The  history  of  the  past  year  is  of 
favours  heaped  upon  me  and  mine,  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left." 

After  expressing  his  earnest  desire  that  the  Lord  might  be 
with  him  in  every  public  duty  (enumerating  "  the  Report  about 
the  Aborigines  ;  all  that  relates  to  the  negroes  ;  the  Apprentice- 
ship Committee;  the  Mico  fund;  our  speeches,  and  all  our 
doings"),  he  adds : — 

***** 

"  Guide  me  aright  in  all  that  I  may  say  or  do  about  the  Church  ques- 
tions, and  let  me  take  no  part  which  shall  impair  the  real  efficiency  of 
that  which  I  am  sure  I  love  and  admire. 

"  Bless  my  little  grandson,  *  *  *  my  brothers,  sisters,  and 
dear  friends,  and  myself  also,  with  the  best  of  blessings,  for  Christ's 
sake. 

"  '  Thou  hast  given  me  a  goodly  heritage,'  is  the  language  which  I 
ought  continually  to  be  using.  In  what  respect  have  I  not  been  bounti- 
fully dealt  with  ?  Especially  in  having  pursuits  in  life  so  deeply  in- 
teresting as  they  proceed,  and  so  full  of  promise  as  to  the  vast  import- 
ance of  their  results,  that  they  may  well  satisfy  my  whole  mind  ?  I 
would  not  change  objects  with  any  man." 

The  following  description  of  Mr.  Buxton's  appearance  and 
manner  at  this  period  of  his  life  is  from  the  pen  of  the  Rev. 
John  Richards,  long  a  valued  inmate  of  his  family  : — 

"  I  shall  never  forget  my  first  interview  with  your  father.  I  had 
been  passing  the  night  at  Ham  House,  where  he  was  expected  by  an 
early  coach  from  Norfolk.  We  were  already  seated  at  the  breakfast- 
table,  when  his  arrival  was  announced,  and  in  he  walked,  stooping  as  he 
passed  beneath  the  door-way,  and  then  drawing  himself  up  to  the  full 
height  of  his  commanding  form.  My  thoughts  had  been  previously  busy 
portraying  the  image  of  one  with  whom  I  was  to  be  brought  into  such 
close  contact,  and  that,  as  you  may  suppose,  with  an  interest  which  excited 
me ;  but,  as  he  stood  dilated  before  me,  though  his  frame  was  not  so  firmly 
knit  together  as  to  convey  the  idea  of  robust  strength,  the  real  impres- 
sion was  certainly  one  of  awe.  This  feeling,  however,  soon  subsided  on 
witnessing  the  joyous  hilarity  with  which  he  returned  the  greetings  of 
his  nieces,  or,  if  it  recurred  for  a  moment  when,  on  being  presented  to 
him,  he  surveyed  me  with  a  somewhat  scrutinizing  look,  it  was  at  once 
completely  dispelled  by  the  warmth  of  his  welcome  and  the  kindness  of 
his  manner;  and  I  was  not  long  in  discovering,  from  the  playful  sallies 
and  affectionate  tones  of  his  conversation,  that  within  that  manly  form 
there  glowed  the  sensitive  heart  of  a  child." 


1837.]  REPORT  ON  ABORIGINES.  349 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

1837,  1838. 

Aborigines'  Report  —  Correspondence  —  Election  —  Defeat  at  Weymouth  — 
Letters  —  Efforts  to  shorten  the  Apprenticeship  of  the  Negroes  —  Mr. 
Buxton's  Hesitation  —  The  Apprenticeship  abolished. 

WITH  the  session  of  1836  had  closed  the  sitting  of  the  Abori- 
gines' Committee,  and  the  drawing  up  of  its  report  was  entrusted 
to  Mr.  Buxton  as  its  chairman.  He  was  anxious  to  render  this 
report  a  sort  of  manual  for  the  future  treatment  of  aboriginal 
nations  in  connection  with  our  colonies.  Accordingly,  in 
January,  1837,  he  invited  Dr.  Philip  to  Northrepps,  and  com- 
menced his  work. 

"  Dr.  Philip  has  been  here  three  days,"  he  writes.  "  We 
are  in  the  heart  of  the  Report  on  Aborigines.  Oh  !  for  a  spirit 
of  wisdom  poured  down  on  our  labours!" 

The  object  of  the  report  was  to  prove,  first,  the  destructive 
cruelty  to  which  the  native  tribes  had  generally  been  subjected : 
and,  secondly,  that,  wherever  they  had  received  equitable  and 
humane  treatment,  they  had  increased  in  numbers,  acquired  the 
arts  of  civilized  life,  and  accepted  the  blessings  of  religion. 

"April  2,   1837. 

"  The  next  few  months  are  very  important,  as  in  them  the  Abori- 
gines' Report  will  be  settled.  Most  earnestly  I  pray  that  it  may  stop 
the  oppressor,  and  open  the  door  for  the  admission  of  multitudes  of 
heathens  to  the  fold  of  Christ. 

"  Then  there  is  the  Apprenticeship  Committee,  which  I  bring  for- 
ward on  the  20th;  and  the  slave-trade  question,  and  East  Indian  slavery; 
and  other  deep  and  various  interests  which  will  speedily  be  unfolded. 
Grant,  O  Lord  of  mercy,  that  in  all  I  have  to  do  I  may  be  steered  by 
thee ;  that  each  event  may  be  fraught  with  mercy ;  that  the  influence 
of  thy  grace  may  operate  more  directly  and  more  forcibly  on  my  heart 
than  it  has  hitherto  done  ;  that  thy  blessing  may  reside  with  my  family, 
my  friends,  and  my  fellow-workers ;  with  the  Aborigines,  the  West 


350  THANKSGIVINGS.  [CHAP.  xxv. 

Indies,  Africa,  India ;  and  if  I  have  offended,  forgive  me,  or  at  least 
shield  me  from  the  dreadful  punishment.  Cast  me  not  away  from  thy 
presence,  and  take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me. 

"  I  must  confess  I  look  back  without  much  sense  of  satisfaction  to  my 
course  on  the  English  Church-rate  Bill.  I  did  desire  and  pray  to  be 
guided  aright ;  but  yet  I  have  a  lurking  suspicion  that  secondary  mo- 
tives did,  in  some  measure,  bias  my  judgment.  If  it  were  so,  I  beseech 
thy  forgiveness,  O  Lord,  and  pray  that  in  future  nothing  may  influence 
me,  or  turn  me  aside  from  what  is  my  duty  to  thee." 

Many  of  his  papers  and  letters  at  this  period  are  full  of  ex- 
pressions of  those  grateful  feelings  to  which  his  heart  had  always 
been  disposed,  but  which  seem  to  have  risen  higher  and  higher 
after  the  great  purpose  of  his  life,  the  abolition  of  slavery,  had 
been  achieved.  In  this  strain,  he  writes  from  Northrepps  to  one 
of  his  children  : — 

-  «  May  14,  1837. 

*  *  *  "I  dwelt  much  yesterday,  and  still  more  to-day,  on  the 
mercy  which  has  been  showered  upon  me  by  a  gracious  and  indulgent 
Lord.  I  feel  that  I  cannot  be  grateful  enough  for  the  heaps  and  loads 
of  mercies  which  have  been  my  lot  since  my  marriage  thirty  years  ago. 
*  *  *  That  may  fairly  stand  among  earthly  blessings  as  number 


l(  Then  my  success  in  business,  so  good  and  so  untroublesome,  my 
seat  in  Parliament  for  nineteen  years,  and  the  objects  which  have  been 
entrusted  to  me.  *  *  *  My  children,  my  brothers  and  sisters,  my 
friends ;  the  success  which  has  crowned  my  public  labours.  These  are 
a  few,  and  but  a  few,  of  my  sources  of  grateful  satisfaction. 

"  My  cup  runneth  over :  surely  goodness  and  mercy  have  followed  me 
all  the  days  of  my  life,  and  (may  it  be !)  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord  for  ever. 

"  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  his  benefits  (and  every 
clause  in  that  catalogue  of  mercies,  each  of  which  has  been  offered  for 
my  acceptance).  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures. 

"  Farewell !  Farewell !  I  must  go  and  hear  the  birds  sing,  and  turn 
my  eyes  to  the  wonderful  Giver  of  such  stores  of  mercies." 

During  this  session  he  was  chiefly  occupied  in  completing  and 
carrying  through  the  committee  the  report  on  the  treatment  of 
Aborigines,  which  had  been  drawn  up  with  so  much  care  at 
Northrepps.  Before  it  was  printed  it  was  carefully  revised  by 


1837.]  CORRESPONDENCE.  351 

Sir  George  Grey,  and  it  appears  to  have  had  considerable  weight 
with  the  Government  in  promoting  the  equitable  treatment  of  the 
natives  in  our  colonial  dominions. 

It  was  with  peculiar  satisfaction  that  he  saw  this  work  com- 
pleted, for  it  was  very  doubtful  whether  he  would  long  have  the 
opportunity  of  continuing  his  exertions  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons. The  death  of  the  King,  on  the  20th  of  June,  produced 
an  immediate  dissolution  of  Parliament,  and  Mr.  Buxton's  return 
for  Weymouth  had  never  before  appeared  so  insecure. 

On  account  of  his  health  he  had  felt  serious  doubts  as  to  stand- 
ing again,  and  he  had  been  advised  by  many  to  withdraw,  at  least 
for  a  time ;  but  he  was  not  willing  to  take  the  responsibility  of 
leaving  his  post.  "  I  am  of  opinion,"  he  writes,  "  that  I  ought 
to  remain  in  Parliament,  even  at  a  vast  sacrifice." 

TO  CHARLES  BUXTON,  ESQ.,  BELLFIELD. 

"  Spitalfields,  1837. 

"  My  dear  Uncle, — You  must  not  be  alarmed  about  the  election. 
*  *  *  I  really  think  I  should  not  be  happy,  or  feel  that  I  had  done 
my  duty,  if  I  were  to  retire.  I  think  (though,  perhaps,  it  is  absurd  vanity 
to  say  so)  that  my  being  in  Parliament  is  of  some  little  consequence  to 
the  negroes  in  the  West  Indies,  to  the  oppressed  natives  of  our  colonies 
and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Africa,  exposed  to  the  slave-trade.  As  the  first 
are  nearly  one  million,  the  second  three  millions,  and  the  third  a  Teat 
many  millions,  it  would  not  be  right  to  give  up  a  chance,  if  it  were  only 
a  chance,  of  being  returned,  merely  because  there  may  be  some  little 
humiliation  to  myself  in  being  turned  out. 

"  I  don't  care  a  straw  about  the  disgrace.  If  I  am  turned  out  I 
cannot  help  it :  I  have  done  my  best,  and  I  shall  be  satisfied.  But  if  1 
were  to  go  out  of  my  own  accord,  I  think  my  conscience  would  reproach 
me.  Besides  all  which,  I  do  not  think  they  can  turn  me  out  quite  so 
easily  as  they  imagine." 

The  following  letter  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Joseph  John  Gurney, 
who  was  about  to  proceed  to  America,  on  a  religious  visit  to  the 
Society  of  Friends  : — 

"  Upton,  June  25,  1837. 

"  I  think  it  is  hardly  possible  for  any  one,  at  least  of  our  harder  sex  to 
feel  more  than  I  do  in  all  that  concerns  your  going  to  America.  We 
have  been  bound  together  for  not  far  short  of  forty  years,  in  one  cloud- 


352  CORRESPONDENCE.  CHAP.  xxv. 

less  friendship.  As  boy  and  man,  I  have  been  partner  in  all  your  for- 
tunes, and  you  in  mine.  I  do  not  believe  you  ever,  by  word  or  deed, 
gave  me  a  momentary  vexation.  You,  I  dare  say,  are  not  aware  how 
you  have  refreshed  and  encouraged  me  in  my  career ;  in  truth,  I  look  to 
you  with  almost  boundless  affection  and  gratitude.  It  is  against  the 
grain  with  me  to  let  you  go  without  seeing  you  again,  but  I  fear  it  must 
be  so.  After  much  deliberation  I  have  resolved  to  go  down  to  Wey- 
mouth.  The  way  in  which  Parliament  affects  my  health  has  had  great 
weight  in  the  one  scale,  but  in  the  other  there  are  three  great  points — 
West  India  negroes,  East  India  slavery,  and  the  Brazilian  slave-trade. 
If  it  were  the  West  India  negroes  alone,  I  believe  I  should  retire,  be- 
cause nine-tenths  of  the  work  is  done,  and  because  there  is  feeling 
enoucrh  in  the  country  to  accomplish  the  remainder,  and  persons  enough 
willing  and  able  to  call  forth  that  feeling.  I  am  steadfast  in  the  belief, 
that  that  great  experiment  has  been,  and  will  continue  to  be,  crowned 
with  more  complete  success  than  the  most  sanguine  among  us  anticipated. 
I  know  very  well  that  evil  influences  are  working  hard  against  it,  and 
that  thousands  of  the  negroes  are  exposed  to  cruel  injustice.  Neverthe- 
less I  do  rejoice,  and  will  rejoice,  in  the  extinction  of  slavery  ;  and  the 
more  I  see  of  the  posthumous  brood  the  more  I  rejoice  in  the  death  of 
the  old  parent  dragon. 

"  And  now,  my  dear  brother,  if  I  do  not  see  you  before  your  depar- 
ture, I  take  leave  of  you  with  a  heart  full  of  love,  with  the  most  pleasant 
and  grateful  remembrance  of  you,  and  with  the  most  earnest  prayers  for 
your  safety,  comfort,  and  peace,  for  the  full  success  of  your  mission,  and 
for  your  fruition  of  all  that  is  contained  in  these  words — '  Fear  thou  not, 
for  I  am  with  thee ;  be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God.  I  will 
strengthen  thee,  yea,  I  will  help  thee,  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the 
right  hand  of  my  righteousness.'  " 

On  the  day  that  the  Queen  dissolved  Parliament,  he  writes  to 
Mrs.  S.  Gurney,  whose  aged  mother  he  had  visited  on  the  pre- 
vious day : — 

"July  17,  1837. 

"  My  dear  Elizabeth,— I  this  day  saw  our  youthful  Queen  surrounded 
by  all  the  chief  officers  of  state,  herself  wearing  a  crown  of  diamonds, 
and  arrayed  in  royal  robes,  and  the  House  of  Lords  filled  with  all  the 
great  ones  of  the  country.  She  delivered  an  admirable  address  to  the 
Parliament,  with  the  utmost  sweetness  of  voice  and  the  most  exquisite 
grace  of  manner  ;  and  yet  this  spectacle  has  left  a  less  pleasing,  a  less 
lively  impression  on  my  mind  than  the  sight  which  I  had  yesterday  the 
pleasure  of  witnessing, — of  an  aged  Christian,  refined  and  purified,  her 
work  completed,  waiting  in  patient  cheerfulness  the  will  of  her  Lord. 


18.17.]  ELECTION  — DEFEAT  OF  MR.  BUXTON.  353 

That  is  a  sight  full  of  instruction  and  consolation.  So  much  must  I  say, 
my  dear  sister,  and  you  may  repeat  it  to  her  who  is  ready  to  depart  and 
to  be  with  Christ." 

In  July  he  went  down  to  the  election  at  Weymouth.  After 
mentioning  to  his  eldest  son  the  difficulties  into  which  he  had 
been  thrown  by  the  non-appearance  of  the  other  Whig  candidate, 
he  adds:  — 

"  If  Burdon  does  not  stand,  I  think  it  all  but  certain  I  shall  lose  the 
election.  After  hearing,  on  my  arrival  last  night,  all  the  particulars  I 
have  given  you,  I  felt  so  perfectly  satisfied,  and  so  devoid  of  a  momentary 
feeling  of  regret,  that  I  am  confident  I  shall  be  very  thankful  if  I  arn 
turned  out.  Per  contra,  I  am  equally  confident  I  shall  be  very  thankful 
if  I  am  once  more  turned  loose  in  the  House  against  slavery,  slave-trade, 
and  white  men's  cruelties.  So  I  am  pretty  sure  to  get  a  triumph. 
Love  to  C ,  and  my  smiling  namesake." 

TO  MRS.  BUXTON. 

"Bellfield,  July  25,  1837. 

"  Here  I  am  looking  out  on  this  splendid  view ;  nothing  can  be 
more  calm.  I  have  passed  a  restless  night,  and  have  been  awake  for 
hours. 

"  This  day  will,  I  expect,  make  an  entire  revolution  in  my  vocation. 
I  have  no  expectation  of  being  returned.  When  I  look  at  some  of  the 
arts  that  have  been  employed,  I  am  half  ready  to  be  provoked;  but 
when  I  turn  to  the  Creator  of  these  fields,  and  those  waters,  and  remem- 
ber that  all  events  are  in  His  hands,  that  nothing  occurs  but  at  His  bid- 
ding, I  am  restored  to  full  peace.  He  ordereth  all  events,  and  that  is 
reason  enough  for  satisfaction  ;  and  though,  for  the  moment,  we  are  car- 
ried away  by  the  current,  it  is  not  very  difficult  to  perceive  that  we  shall 
derive  a  hundred  family  benefits  from  my  exclusion  from  Parliament.  I 
look  upon  myself  as  an  old  horse  turned  out  to  grass,  and  it  is  folly  to 
worry  myself  by  supposing  that  other  and  better  steeds  will  not  be  found 
to  do  the  work. 

"  I  must  now  get  ready.  I  do  not  expect  to  be  in  any  way  disturbed 
by  the  events  of  the  day  ;  but  before  it  closes  I  shall  be  a  man  of  lei- 
sure ;  that  is  no  mean  blessing  :  a  man,  not  slaving  himself  to  death,  but 
with  time  to  walk,  to  read,  to  sleep,  to  reflect, — and  better  than  these, 
time  to  pray. 

"  One  o'clock. — Well,  my  dearest  wife,  your  wishes  are  realised  :  the 
troubles  and  worries  of  Parliament  are  over  with  me ;  and  now  we  must 

2A 


354  DEVOTION  OF  THE  ELECTORS.          [CHAP.  xxv. 

be  as  happy,  as  healthy,  and  as  long-lived  as  possible.  I  am  perfectly 
well  satisfied  with  the  result,  and  view  it  as  a  release  from  a  vast  deal  of 
labour." 

That  the  cause  of  this  defeat  was  not  any  diminution  of  per- 
sonal attachment  to  him  on  the  part  of  his  constituents,  was 
evident  from  the  strong  expressions  of  grief  on  all  sides  at  his 
rejection.  But  the  Tory  party  had  for  some  years  been  increasing 
in  local  influence,  and  did  not  scruple  to  employ  a  degree  of  inti- 
midation till  then  unknown  in  the  borough.  In  Mr.  Buxton's 
farewell  address  to  the  electors,  he  distinctly  states :  — 

"  During  twenty  years  in  elections,  seven  of  which  have  been  severely 
contested,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  ascertaining  the  motives  which 
actuate  almost  every  individual  in  this  borough,  and  I  gladly  state  this 
fact,  so  honourable  to  the  poorer  electors  of  this  town,  viz.  that  I  never 
paid  any  man  one  sixpence  for  his  vote,  and  never,  except  in  two 
instances,  was  asked  to  do  so." 

An  incident  which  occurred  is  recorded  by  one  who  was  present 
at  this  election  : — 

"  It  strongly  illustrates,"  says  the  narrator,  "  the  deep  personal  inte- 
rest which  Mr.  Buxton  had  the  power  of  exciting  among  those  who 
knew  him  best.  Captain  Penny,  R.N.,  had  long  been  one  of  the  active 
men  on  Mr.  Buxton's  committees  ;  he  was  an  old  man,  exceeding 
ninety-two.  The  contest  was  virtually  over  by  one  o'clock,  though  the 
]K>11  remained  open  till  four  o'clock.  Shortly  before  its  close  the  gallant 
veteran  inquired  how  it  stood,  and  on  hearing  of  the  increasing  majority 
against  Mr.  Buxton,  he  called  for  his  hat,  and  declaring  to  his  wife  that 
'  if  it  were  to  be  the  last  act  of  his  life  it  would  be  a  good  one,'  he  pro- 
ceeded to  the  polling  booth,  and  voted  for  Mr.  Buxton  and  Mr.  G. 
Stephen.  He  then  went  home,  but  had  been  much  fatigued  by  the 
exertion,  and  shortly  after  reaching  home  asked  his  wife  to  help  him  to 
bed.  She  assisted  him  up  stairs,  and  began  tc  undress  him,  as  he  was 
seated  on  the  side  of  the  bed.  She  took  off  one  of  his  stockings,  and 
told  him  to  raise  his  other  foot,  that  she  might  draw  off  the  other,  lie 
did  not  do  so  ;  and  being  on  her  knees,  she  looked  up  to  him,  to  repeat 
her  request,  when,  to  her  amazement,  she  perceived  that  he  was  ac ;  uilly 
sitting  erect,  but  a  corpse  !  So  his  voting  for  Mr.  Biixton  was  the  last 
act  of  his  life." 


1837.J  LETTER  TO  MR.  GURNEY.  355 


TO  JOSEPH  JOHN  GURNEY,  ESQ.,  IN  AMERICA. 

"Upton,  July  30,  1837. 

"  My  dear  Brother, — We  have  gone  so  much  hand-in-hand  together 
all  our  days,  that  I  greatly  miss  you  now  that  a  change  has  taken  place 
with  me.  I  am  reprieved  from  death,  and  emancipated  from  slavery  ; 
and  both  these  blessings  came  under  the  form  of  a  dismissal  from  Wey- 
mouth  on  Tuesday  last.  But  you  shall  have  my  history  for  the  last 
fortnight,  at  least  as  much  of  it  as  1  can  remember. 

"  You  know,  I  believe,  that  a  few  days  before  the  session  closed  I 
presented  our  report  on  the  Aborigines.  It  is  a  fair  compendium  of  the 
evidence  given  before  the  committee  during  three  years,  and  as  I  had 
but  a  small  portion  of  the  merit  of  drawing  it  up,  1  may  be  allowed  to 
call  it  an  admirable  document;  and  I  have  little  doubt  it  will  go  far  to 
check  that  desperate  and  wide  spreading  villainy  which  has  rendered  the 
intercourse  of  the  civilised  and  Christian  man  with  the  savage  little  else 
than  one  uniform  system  of  cruelty,  rapacity,  and  murder.  In  short,  I 
am  well  satisfied ;  and  have  little  more  to  say  on  that  subject.  Two  or 
three  days  before  the  session  closed,  I  brought  before  the  House  briefly 
the  questions  of  the  slave  trade,  East  India  slavery,  and  the  transporta- 
tion of  the  Coolies  from  India  to  the  Mauritius  and  the  West  Indies. 

41  But  now  for  my  personal  history.  On  Monday,  the  17th  of  July, 
the  Queen  dissolved  the  Parliament.  Before  her  messenger  gave  his 
three  taps  at  our  door  I  gave  notice  of  a  motion  on  East  Indian  slavery 
for  next  session.  We  were  then  called  before  her  Majesty.  She  looked 
well  and  quite  composed  ;  in  delivering  her  speech  her  voice  was  sweet 
and  clear  almost  to  perfection.  In  that  great  room,  with  the  multitude 
of  people  and  some  bustle,  every  syllable  was  so  distinctly  articulated  as 
to  be  perfectly  heard  ;  and  her  voice  rose  into  suitable  emphasis  when 
she  said,  that  her  reign  was  auspiciously  begun  by  giving  her  assent  to 
the  mitigation  of  the  Criminal  Law. 

14  Thus,  a  second  time,  I  have  been  drawn  away  from  my  history,  but 
these  things  may  interest  you,  and  I  shall  not  have  anything  to  tell  you 
of  queens  and  parliaments  for  one  while.  But  now  to  my  history  in 
earnest. 

"  Before  I  went  down  to  Weymouth,  I  began  to  fear;  for  one  of  my 
supporters  told  me  that,  if  I  wished  to  secure  the  election,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  open  public  houses  and  to  lend  money  (a  gentle  name  for 
bribery),  to  the  extent  of  1000/.  I  of  course  declined.  It  might  or  it 
might  not  be  my  duty  to  get  into  Parliament,  but  it  could  not  be  my 
duty  to  corrupt  the  electors  by  beer  and  bank  notes. 

41  At  ten  o'clock  on  the  day  of  nomination,  out  came  Burden's  address 

2  A  2 


356  EEGRET  OF  WEYMOUTH  ELECTORS.      [CHAP.  xxv. 

resigning  the  contest.  George  Stephen  happened  to  arrive  by  the 
mail  at  half-past  ten, — unshaven,  unbreakfasted,  we  converted  him  into 
a  candidate.  The  Tories  had  hired  a  stout  mob  from  the  adjacent  coun- 
try, and  as  they  kept  the  beer  going,  our  audience  was  rather  of  the 
noisiest.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  could  not  be  heard  ;  but  I  find  I 
was  distinctly.  *  *  *  On  the  2oth  the  polling  began  awkwardly. 
My  friends  were  desperately  intimidated.  One  of  them  spoke  out  the 
real  state  of  the  case.  When  asked  at  the  booth  how  he  voted,  he  re- 
plied, '  One  for  Buxton  on  principle  ;  one  for  Villiers  on  interest.'  In 
the  middle  of  the  day  I  found  the  affair  was  hopeless,  and  ceased  to 
press  my  voters  to  come  forward. 

(i  *  *  *  As  to  my  worthy  colleague,  Mr.  Burdon,  I  cannot  prove 
that  he  sold  me ;  but  I  am  sure  that  if  he  had  done  so,  he  could  not 
have  taken  more  skilful  measures  to  effect  my  expulsion. 

"  At  the  close  of  the  poll  I  went  with  Edward  to  the  booth,  where 
my  opponents  and  their  friends  were  collected,  shook  hands  with  them, 
wished  them  joy,  walked  about  the  town  for  half  an  hour  with  Barlow 
and  Edward  to  cheer  up  my  friends,  who  were  sadly  out  of  spirits,  and 
then  went  to  Bellfield,  where  we  passed  a  very  cheerful  evening ;  and 
up  to  this  moment,  not  one  shade  of  regret  on  my  own  account,  how- 
ever slight,  however  transient,  has  passed  over  my  mind,  at  the  memory 
of  my  departed  honours. 

"  The  next  morning,  about  eighty  of  my  constituents  came  up.  I 
ran  to  the  balcony  and  began  a  cheerful  speech  ;  but  I  soon  found  I  was 
entirely  out  of  tune.  I  went  down  amongst  them,  and  then  made  them 
an  oration.  It  could  not  help  being  a  feeling  one ;  certainly  I  never 
saw  a  greater  appearance  of  regret.  *  *  *  I  have  not  half  described  the 
manifestation  of  feeling  which  took  place  in  the  town.  The  children 
set  themselves  to  work  to  collect  subscriptions  to  give  me  a  piece  of 
plate.  The  men  are  also  doing  the  same  thing  on  their  part.  The 
very  Tories,  they  say,  are  disconsolate !  In  the  evening,  several  of  the 
working  men  who  had  not  joined  the  procession  in  the  morning,  came 
up  to  bid  me  farewell ;  and  at  six  o'clock  the  next  morning,  when  I 
got  into  the  coach,  there  was  an  assemblage  of  them  looking  sadly 
downcast.  Spite  of  all  this  lamentation,  I  have  been  in  great  glee  the 
whole  time.  I  am  right  glad  that  I  stood — right  glad  that  I  have  got  a 
holiday.  My  own  impression  is,  that  I  could  not  have  stood  the  fatigues 
of  Parliament  many  sessions  more ;  and  perhaps  this  turning  out  to 
grass  may,  in  the  long  run,  enable  me  to  do  more  work,  if  I  should  have 

the  privilege  of  being  called  to  it.  I  saw ,  who  said  more  about 

the  regret  of  Government,  than  I  should  like  to  repeat.  On  the  other 
hand,  Dr.  Holland  has  sent  me  a  message  by  Samuel  IIo.irc,  of  warm 
congratulation. 


1837.]  TESTIMONIAL  TO  MR.  BUXTON.  357 

"  1  had  fully  resolved,  had  I  continued  in  Parliament,  to  have  sent 
you  a  kind  of  journal  of  notable  events,  but  in  my  present  non-effective 
condition,  I  am  not  likely  to  have  anything  more  interesting  to  tell  you, 
than  the  history  of  the  pigs  and  poultry  at  Northrepps.  As  I  leave 
Parliament  for  health,  I  do  not  by  any  means  intend  to  defeat  that  end 
by  dedicating  myself  to  any  other  objects.  I  mean,  for  conscience'  sake, 
to  ride,  shoot,  amuse  myself,  and  grow  fat  and  flourishing." 

He  soon  afterwards  went  to  "Weymouth,  to  receive  from  his 
friends  there  two  pieces  of  plate;  the  one,  a  candelabrum  from 
his  late  constituents  ;  the  other,  which,  as  he  said,  pleased  him, 
if  possible,  still  more,  a  silver  snuff-box  from  their  children.  He 
was  exceedingly  gratified  by  these  testimonials  of  regard  from 
the  place  with  which  he  had  so  long  been  connected,  and  few  of 
his  possessions  were  valued  so  highly. 

From  no  less  than  twenty-seven  different  places  were  proposals 
made  to  Mr.  Buxton  to  stand  as  a  candidate ;  but  he  felt  at 
liberty  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportune  repose  afforded  him, 
and  accordingly  declined  them  all. 

On  returning  from  a  short  visit  to  Scotland,  he  writes  to  Mrs. 

Johnston  at  Rennyhill. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  October  7,  1837. 

"  I  have  just  been  debating  on  this  difficult  question — shall  I  write 
to  Rennyhill,  or  stretch  myself  on  the  sofa? — you  see  how  I  have 
decided. 

"  Our  return  home  is  vastly  pleasant,  and  I  hope  we  feel  something 
of  true  thankfulness  at  being  permitted  to  reassemble — none  missing, 
none  injured,  and  many  benefited.  *  *  *  My  week  in  London  was 
anything  but  idle.  I  got  through  my  fifty-six  memoranda.  We  re- 
solved that  Mr.  Trew  should,  without  delay,  provide  thirty-four  first- 
rate  teachers  for  the  colonies.  Only  think  of  sending  forth  such  a 
troop!  Is  it  not  cheering  ?  Whilst  I  was  in  London,  three  separate 
deputations  called  upon  me  on  the  same  morning,  to  urge  me  to  go  into 
Parliament.  They  were  very  philosophic  on  the  subject  of  my  health, 
and  said  in  substance  that  it  was  good  economy  for  them  to  work  me  up 
now,  and  that  when  I  was  fairly  dead,  they  dared  to  say  they  should 
find  some  other  agent ;  but  I  was  stedfast  against  this  kind  of  argu- 
ment." 

TO  CHARLES  BUXTOX,  ESQ.,   AT  BELLFIELP. 

"October,  1837. 

"  I  take  shooting  very  easy  this  year,  having  always  a  shooting  pony 
with  me ;  he  is  a  wonder,  has  as  good  action  as  your  old  leader,  and  is 


353  NEGRO  APPRENTICESHIP.  [CHAP.  xxv. 

as  handsome  ;  as  quiet  as  a  lamb,  and  strong  enough  to  carry,  and  some- 
times does  carry,  Mr.  Hoare  and  myself  together,  eats  bread  and 
cheese,  drinks  beer,  is  a  particularly  good  judge  of  porter,  and  prefers 
ours." 

TO  EDWARD  N.  BUXTON,  ESQ. 

"  November,  1837. 

"  I  have  again  made  an  alteration  in  my  gun-stock,  contrary  to  your 
advice.  I  have  shot  execrably  all  the  year,  and  could  stand  it  no 
longer,  so  I  employed  a  Holt  carpenter  to  hew  me  a  stock,  according  to 
my  own  fancy,  out  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree.  It  is  in  its  primitive  sim- 
plicity, and  is  so  wide  as  to  '  contrive  the  double  debt  to  pay,'  of  stock 
while  shooting,  and  table  at  luncheon  ;  but  rough  and  awkward  as  it  is, 
I  shall,  I  trust,  take  the  conceit  out  of  the  young  men  with  it. 

"  I  have  been  calculating  that  since  Parliament  closed  I  have  ridden 
500  miles,  and  walked  1500. 

"  '  Better  to  hunt  in  fields  for  health  unbought, 
Than  fee  the  doctor  for  a  nauseous  draught, — 
The  wise,  for  cure,  on  exercise  depend.' 

"  So  sings  Dryden,  and  what  he  preached  I  practise. 

"  I  shall  send  you  a  basket  to-night,  as  proof  that  my  log  of  a  gun- 
stock  can  do  execution.  *  *  *  We  are  very  happy  here.  If  you  catch 
the  influenza,  lie  up  at  once — principiis  obsta." 

At  the  end  of  1837  a  work  was  published  by  Messrs.  Sttirge 
and  Scoble,  who  had  visited  the  West  Indies,  describing-  the 
condition  of  the  negro  apprentices,  and  such  general  indignation 
was  excited  by  their  narrative,  that  from  all  parts  of  the  country 
were  delegates  sent  to  London  in  the  beginning  of  1838,  to  urge 
the  discontinuance  of  the  apprenticeship  system.  Mr.  Buxton, 
for  some  time,  refused  to  join  them,  and  he  thus  states  his  reasons 
in  a  letter  to  G.  W.  Alexander,  Esq. : — 

"Februarys,  1833. 

"  I  have  received  your  very  kind  letter,  and  have  given  the  subject 
of  it  my  very  best  consideration.  The  result  is,  that  my  opinions,  as 
expressed  in  my  letter  to  the  delegates,  yet  remain  unchanged.  I 
thought,  and  continue  to  think,  that  the  attempt  to  overthrow  the  ap- 
prenticeship will  be  fruitless,  while  there  is  another  object  to  be  accom- 
plished, viz.  that  of  securing  to  the  negro  the  full  and  entire  liberty  of 
a  British  subject  in  1840,  which  is  at  once  more  important,  and  far 
more  practicable. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  this  main  and  capital  object  should  in  some  degree  be 


1838.]  LETTER  TO  MR.  JOHNSTON.  359 

lost  sight  of,  by  the  peculiar  prominence  that  is  given  to  the  abolition  of 
the  apprenticeship,  and  I  could  not  attend  any  meeting  without  stating 
my  doubts  as  to  the  policy  of  the  present  movement.  I  am,  however, 
far  from  wishing  to  give  circulation  to  these  doubts.  It  is  very  possible 
that  I  may  be  altogether  mistaken  in  the  views  I  entertain  ;  and  I  should 
be  extremely  sorry  to  weaken  the  probability,  small  as  I  consider  it,  of 
Parliament  consenting  to  the  immediate  abolition  of  the  apprenticeship. 
I  apprehend,  therefore,  that  I  should  best  serve  the  cause  of  the  negro 
by  abstaining  from  attending  your  meeting.  It  is  needless  for  me  to 
add,  that  it  is  with  hearty  regret  I  cannot  on  this  occasion  altogether 
unite  with  those  good  and  zealous  men  with  whom  I  have  so  long 
acted." 

His  refusal  to  attend  the  meeting  excited  great  displeasure 
among  those  who  were  bent  on  breaking  down  the  apprentice- 
ship. After  alluding  to  the  severe  censures  to  which  he  had 
been  exposed,  he  proceeds, — 

"  Well,  after  all  this,  I  am  in  excellent  health  and  spirits,  not  the 
least  chagrined.  I  do  not  repent  of  any  step  I  have  taken  in  this 
business." 

He  writes,  during  a  short  visit  to  London,  to  Mrs.  Johnston: — 

"  It  only  wants  a  few  minutes  to  breakfast,  but  there  is  time  for  a 
scrap  of  a  letter  to  you.  First,  be  it  known  to  you,  and  to  all  the 
Northrepps  party,  that  I  am  quite  well,  and  in  excellent  spirits,  and  in- 
stead of  being  worried  by  my  adventures,  only  amused  and  interested 
by  them.  I  left  Northrepps  on  Monday  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  as  it  was  too  dark  to  read,  I  occupied  a  good  part  of  the  way  in  com- 
posing a  mighty  grand  oration,  intended  for  the  delegates.  The  horses 
flew;  but  the  time  flew  still  faster,  and  I  was  almost  surprised  10  find, 
after  two  hours,  that  the  town  I  entered  was  not  Aylsham,  but  Nor- 
wich ;  full  half  an  hour  too  soon  for  the  coach.  Conceive  me  then  in 
the  kitchen,  writing  down  my  notes  on  the  dresser.  Off  I  was  taken 
before  I  had  half  done,  and  had  to  finish  my  notations  in  the  coach.  I 
then  had  to  read  a  budget  of  letters  from  Floresi,  and  to  make  sundry 
resolutions  on  them.  Then  Lord  Bacon,  in  the  Edinburgh  Review  ; 
have  you  read  it  ?  Pray  do,  though  it  is  very  sad.  After  doing  so, 
you  must,  when  quoting  the  line — 

'  The  greatest,  wisest,  meanest  of  mankind,' 

lay  all  the  emphasis  on  the  labt  epithet.  With  this,  varied  by  other 
books,  and  stages  given  up  to  a  kind  of  meditation,  I  cheated  the 


360  LETTER  TO  MR.  JOHNSTON.  [CHAP.  xxv. 

journey  of  every  thing  like  tediousness,   and  reached  Ham   House  to 
dinner.     S.  Gurney  soon  told  me  that  perhaps  it  would  be  as  well  that  I 
should  attend  the  public   meeting,  as  he  found  that  the  current   ran 
strongly  against  me,  and  that  pains  had  been  taken  to  poison  the  minds 
of  simple-hearted  Friends,  with  the  suspicion  that  I  had  become  a  kind 
of  enemy  to  the  anti-slavery  cause.     I  called  a  meeting  of  our  society  on 
Tuesday,  which  I  attended,  and  I  asked  their  opinion  of  the  propriety  of 
my  going  to  Exeter  Hall.     The  general  opinion  was  against  it;  and  I 
decided  not  to  go.     Soon  afterwards  I  was  called  out  of  the  room  by 
Dr.  Philip  and  Josiah  Forster,  to  tell  me  that  a  reaction  had  taken  place  ; 
that  a  public  breakfast  had  been  given  the  day  before  by  the  delegates 
to  the  anti-slaveryites  in  the  neighbourhood  of  town,  where  my  conduct 
was  the  chief  subject  of  discussion.     At  length  my  old  friend  Capt. 
Stewart  proposed  a  resolution,  condemning,  though    in  gentle  terms, 
more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger,  my  letter.     For  some  time  no  seconder 
could  be  found,  but  when  at  last  one  appeared,  Dr.  Philip  made  them  a 
speech.     He  first  said  he  owed  every  thing  to  me  ;  but  for  me  he  would 
have  been  trampled  to  the  earth,  would  have  been  tried  as  a  traitor,  and 
convicted ;  that  but  for  me  the  whole  of  Caffreland  would  have  been 
Adelaide  country,  and  the  whole  Caft're  nation  exterminated  ;  but  for  me 
not  one  missionary  left  in  all  South  Africa:  that  they  owed  all  anti-sla- 
very success,   including  the  present  force  of  public  opinion,  the  very 
groundwork  on  which  they  stood,  to  me.     This  oration  was  received 
with  great  applause ;  the  seconder  vowed  he  would  second  no  such  non- 
sense as  Stewart  proposed.     Stewart  would  move  no  such  motion,  and 
these   three    curiosities  occurred : — First,   instead    of  a   lecture,    they 
unanimously  voted  me  thanks  ;  secondly,  G.  Thompson  offered  to  draw 
it  up;  thirdly,  Sturge  begged  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  present  it. 
He  did  so  the  following  day,  and  we  parted  the  best  of  friends.   *    *    * 
I  long  now  to  return  to  the  '  fairy  land  of  snowdrops.'     I  am  very  well, 
but  I  cannot  sleep.     As  Milton  says — 

'  What  has  night  to  do  with  sleep  ?' 

I  affronted  E.  W ,  by  not  calling  her  at  three  o'clock  this  morning 

to  read  to  me,  but  I  could  not  do  anything  so  barbarous.     I  have  less 
pity  on  poor  Andrew,  who  is  most  useful  to  me  in  various  ways." 

As  the  spring  advanced,  he  found  that  he  had  been  in  error, 
and  that  public  feeling  was  less  torpid  than  he  had  expected.  He 
writes,  on  the  12th  of  March,  to  one  of  his  old  Anti-slavery  co- 
adjutors:—" It  seems  just  possible  that  the  delegates  may  succeed, 
and  if  so,  I  am  sure  we  shall  both  say,  '  thank  God  that  other 
people  had  more  courage  and  more  discernment  than  ourselves.'" 


1838.]  SIR  GEORGE  STRICKLAND'S  MOTION.  3C1 

On  the  23nl  of  March  he  received  a  letter  from  Dr.  Lushington, 
urging  him  to  come  to  town  and  meet  the  delegates,  and  he 
accordingly  left  Northrepps  for  London,  and  after  much  delibe- 
ration he  determined  to  join  them. 

"  I  went,"  he  says,  "  to  the  meeting  of  the  delegates ;  they  were 
very  cordial.  I  told  them  freely  my  mind,  and  some  of  it  was  not  much 
to  their  liking,  I  dare  say.  Among  the  rest,  that  I  praised  Glenelg." 

After  mentioning  the  charge  of  inconsistency  which  he  might 
incur,  he  adds, — 

"  No  matter.  The  sin  unpardonable  in  my  eyes  would  be,  to  do  any- 
thing for  any  consideration  whatever,  the  result  of  which  was  likely  to 
injure  the  sacred  cause.  So  long  as  I  retain  the  assurance,  that  1  am 
acting  with  a  single  eye  to  that,  you  may  be  sure  I  shall  not  be 
dejected." 

"  You  ask,  what  will  the  world  say  ?  "  he  writes  to  another 
friend.  "  Let  the  world  say  what  it  pleases  : 

'  'Tis  not  the  babbling  of  a  busy  world, 
Where  praise  and  censure  are  at  random  hurl'd, 
Which  can  the  meanest  of  my  thoughts  control, 
Or  shake  one  settled  purpose  of  my  soul : — 
Free  and  at  large,  may  their  wild  censures  roam, 
While  all,  — while  all,  I  know,  is  right  at  home.'  " 

On  the  30th  of  March  Sir  George  Strickland  brought  forward 
a  motion  for  the  abolition  of  the  apprenticeship,  but  it  was  lost 
by  a  majority  of  64.  Mr.  Buxton  thus  describes  the  evening, 
having  been  present  under  the  gallery : — 

"London,  March  31,  1838. 

"  I  am  alive,  after  having  been  in  the  detestable  position  of  having  to 
sit  for  ten  hours,  last  night,  in  the  House  of  Commons,  to  be  shot  at  by 
everybody,  without  the  possibility  of  firing  one  round  in  return.  I 
would  have  given  something  to  be  allowed  to  speak,  and  I  literally  was 
two  or  three  times  upon  the  point  of  springing  up.  Gladstone,  Lord 
John  Russell,  Grey,  &c.,  would  have  it  that  I  was  a  friend  to  the 
apprenticeship,  because  I  sold  an  unavailing  division  on  it,  in  Com- 
mittee, for  the  solid  profit  of  getting  thorn  to  insert  a  clause  for  unquali- 
fied freedom,  when  the  apprenticeship  should  cease." 

In  consequence  of  what,  had  been  stated  in  this  debate,  Mr. 
Buxtori  addressed  a  letter  to  Lord  John  Russell,  in  which  he 


3C2  APPRENTICESHIP  ABOLISHED.  [CHAP.  xxv. 

proved  that  he  had  been  throughout  a  steady  opponent  of  the 
Apprenticeship  system. 

He  went,  about  the  same  time,  to  see  Mr.  Macaulay,  whom  he 
found  very  ill.  "  God  bless  you  and  yours,"  said  his  aged 
friend.  "  I  sympathise  in  all  your  trials,  I  concur  in  all  your 
opinions,  and  your  visits  to  me  are  as  water  to  the  thirsty  soul." 
It  was  his  impression  that  he  should  not  see  Mr.  Buxton  again  ; 
nor  did  he.  He  died  in  May,  just  before  the  complete  consum- 
mation of  all  his  labours,  for  in  the  same  month,  Sir  Eardley 
Wilmot  gained,  by  a  majority  of  three,  a  motion  against  the 
Apprenticeship  ;  and  the  planters  afterwards  agreed  to  surrender 
it  on  the  1st  of  August,  1838.  "  The  Apprenticeship  is 
abolished,"  writes  Mr.  Buxton ;  "  thank  God  for  that." 

"  I  bless  God  for  the  event,"  he  says  in  a  letter  to  Mr,  Sturge :  "I 
bless  God,  that  He,  who  has  always  raised  up  agents  such  as  the  crisis 
required,  sent  you  to  the  West  Indies.  I  bless  God,  that  during  the 
Apprenticeship,  not  one  act  of  violence  against  the  person  of  a  white 
man  has,  as  I  believe,  been  perpetrated  by  a  negro,  and  I  cannot 
express  my  grateful  exultation  that  those  whom  the  colonial  law  so 
recently  reckoned  as  brute  beasts,  '  the  fee  simple  absolute  whereof 
resided  in  their  owners,'  will  so  soon  be  invested  with  the  full  rights  of 
man.  *  *  *  Let  none  of  us  forget  that  those  who  are  emancipated 
will  be  assailed  with  many  an  attempt  to  curb  and  crush  their  liberty  ; 
nor  that  two  millions  of  human  chattels  in  the  East  Indies  require  our 
protection ;  nor  that  the  slave  trade,  of  all  evils,  the  monster  evil,  still 
defiles  and  darkens  ,one  quarter  of  the  globe.  May  that  same  public 
voice,  which  has  now  been  so  happily  exerted,  and  under  the  influence 
of  that  same  gracious  Lord,  who  has  wrought  its  present  victory,  never 
be  hushed  while  a  taint  of  slavery  remains  !" 

TO  THE  HON.  MRS.  UPCHEK. 

"  AtheiiR'um,  May  23,  1838. 

"  I  must  write  a  Hue  to  tell  you  that  Sturge  and  that  party,  whom 
we  thought  all  in  the  wrong,  are  proved  to  be  all  in  the  right.  A  reso- 
lution for  the  immediate  abolition  of  the  Apprenticeship  was  carried  by 
a  majority  of  three  last  night.  The  intelligence  was  received  with  such 
a  shout  by  the  Quakers,  (myself  among  the  number,)  that  we  strangers 
were  all  turned  out  for  rioting  !  I  am  right  pleased." 


1838.]    NEW  PLAN  FOR  SUPPRESSION  OF  SLAVE  TRADE.   3C3 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

1838. 

New  Plan  for  the  Suppression  of  the  Slave  Trade  —  Laborious  Investi- 
gations—  Collection  of  Evidence  —  Letter  to  Lord  Melbourne  —  Com- 
munications with  the  Government  —  Abstract  of  his  Views —  Horrors  of 
the  Trade  —  Capabilities  of  Africa. 

Ox  quitting  Parliament,  Mr.  Buxton  had  looked  forward  to  a 
period  of  repose ;  but  this  expectation  was  not  realized.  Even 
before  that  time,  an  idea  had  suggested  itself  to  his  mind,  the 
development  of  which  proved  more  than  sufficient  occupation  for 
all  his  remaining  years. 

"  I  well  remember,"  writes  one  of  his  sons,  "  the  commencement  of 
that  long  train  of  toils,  anxieties,  and  sorrows.  While  my  father  and  I 
were  staying  at  Earlham,  in  the  beginning  of  the  summer  of  1837,  he 
walked  into  my  room  one  morning,  at  an  early  hour,  and  sitting  down 
on  my  bedside,  told  me  that  he  had  been  lying  awake  the  whole  night, 
reflecting  on  the  subject  of  the  slave  trade,  and  that  he  believed  he  had 
hit  upon  the  true  remedy  for  that  portentous  evil." 

Two  years  before  this  time,  he  had  moved  an  address  for 
making  our  treaties  on  this  subject  with  foreign  powers  more 
stringent,  and  the  penalties  of  the  crime  more  severe.  The  idea 
that  now  struck  him  so  forcibly,  was  this — that  "  though  strong 
external  measures  ought  still  to  be  resorted  to,  the  deliverance 
of  Africa  was  to  be  effected,  by  calling  out  her  own  resources" 

For  some  months  he  was  compelled  to  defer  the  following  up 
of  this  new  train  of  thought;  but  on  reaching  home  at  the  fall  of 
the  year,  he  addressed  himself  to  the  pursuit  with  all  his  heart 
and  mind,  and  never  was  his  character  shown  more  clearly  than 
in  his  conduct  of  this  great  affair.  The  exquisite  sympathy  with 
suffering,  the  long  investigations  and  deep  thought  before  action, 
the  intense  and  untiring  energy  when  the  work  had  once  begun, 
the  largeness  of  his  plan,  the  care  bestowed  upon  its  smallest  de- 


364    PLAN  FOR  SUPPRESSION  OF  SLAVE  TRADE.  [CHAP.  xxvi. 

tails,  the  hearty  trust  in  Providence,  joined  with  the  solicitous 
choice  of  means,  the  patient  faith  with  which  disappointment  and 
calamity  were  borne; — all  these  qualities  had  been  apparent  in 
his  previous  undertakings, — all  now  stood  forth  in  still  bolder 
relief.  Nor  was  there  less  of  the  same  ardent  and  exclusive 
devotion  to  the  one  work  before  him,  which  had  characterised  his 
earlier  years.  The  idea  did  not  flash  upon  him,  and  then  slowly 
fade  away  again,  like  the  visions  of  less  effective  men.  Nor  was 
he  content  merely  to  lay  his  views  before  the  public,  satisfying 
himself  with  an  undefined  hope  that  some  one  else  would  carry 
them  into  practice.  Pie  at  once  applied  himself  to  the  subject, 
and  throughout  the  winter  he  was  incessantly  revolving  it  in  his 
mind,  reading  every  book  that  could  assist  him,  and  inquiring 
wherever  information  could  be  gained,  until  at  length  the  whole 
idea  was  fully  developed  in  his  mind. 

His  task  was  twofold : — on  the  one  hand  he  had  to  prove  the 
magnitude  of  the  evils  now  existing,  in  the  human  traffic,  and 
consequent  condition  of  Africa : — on  the  other,  he  had  to  point 
out  the  capabilities  of  Africa,  and  thence  to  deduce  the  possibility 
of  her  becoming  peaceful,  flourishing,  and  productive,  by  the 
force  of  legitimate  commerce. 

While  he  himself  was  occupied  in  elaborate  calculations  drawn 
from  official  documents,  respecting  the  extent  and  desolating 
effect  of  the  trade,  he  set  others  to  work  in  collecting  proofs  of 
the  productiveness  and  commercial  resources  of  Africa. 

TO  EDWARD  N.  BUXTON,  ESQ. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  1838. 

"  Andrew  Johnston  and  I  are  working  like  dragons  at  the  slave  trade 
— a  tiisk  as  interesting  in  its  prosecution,  and  promising  to  be  as  impor- 
tant in  its  results,  as  any  that  I  ever  had  the  honour  to  be  engaged  in. 
I  only  wish  that  the  number  of  the  hours  in  each  day  were  douhled,  and 
the  number  of  minutes  in  every  hour  quadrupled." 

TO  JOHN  JEREMIE,  ESQ.,  IN  CEYLON. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  February  i'7. 

"  My  dear  Jeremie, — I  wonder  that  I  have  not  written  to  you  long  ore 
this,  and  especially  that  I  have  not  answered  your  very  welcome  letter  of 


1838.]  LETTER  TO  MR.  JEREMIE.  365 

the  14th  of  August  last.  But  procrastination,  always  an  insidious  enemy, 
makes  foreign  letters  its  especial  prey.  They  may  perhaps  sail  as  soon,  if 
written  next  week,  as  if  sent  off  to-day,  and  therefore  are  postponed; 
and  I  have  no  lack  of  good  excuses.  Though  perhaps  I  ought  to  be  at 
leisure,  now  that  I  am  released  from  the  harness  of  Parliament,  I  still 
find  every  day  more  than  supplied  with  its  work.  Your  long  letter  I 
have  not  now  before  me,  as  I  left  it  with  Dr.  Lushington.  He  has 
promised  to  read  it  attentively,  although  as  usual  overwhelmed  with 
business. 

"My  principal  occupation  is  the  consideration  of  the  slave  trade.  I 
am  quite  convinced  we  are  all  on  a  wrong  tack  about  it,  and  that  we 
never  shall  do  good,  or  at  least  effectual  good,  by  pursuing  only  our  pre- 
sent plan.  The  scheme  therefore  that  I  am  now  meditating  is,  to 
represent  to  all  powers  the  immense  field  for  commerce,  which  is  closed 
by  the  slave  trade.  When  I  am  thoroughly  master  of  the  subject  I  shall 
lay  it  before  the  Government. 

"  You  will  not  doubt,  my  dear  friend,  that  all  you  tell  me  about 
yourself  and  your  own  state  of  mind  is  very  interesting  to  me.  I  do  in- 
deed trust  that  you  may  more  and  more  taste  of  the  knowledge  of  that 
which  can,  above  all  else,  satisfy  the  mind  and  heart,  and  lead  into  the 
way  of  peace.  What  I  have  learnt  of  this,  has  been  at  the  price  of 
heavy  sorrow  ;  but  I  can  say  it  is  worth  its  price,  and  it  is  my  chief  and 
settled  desire  for  myself,  and  all  who  arc  most  dear  to  me,  that  above  all 
prosperity,  all  knowledge,  all  success  or  honour,  we  may  know  and  par- 
take of  the  riches  of  Christianity.  By  this  I  do  not  merely  mean 
morality,  even  of  the  highest  tone  ;  I  mean  the  knowledge  of  Christ  as  a 
Saviour,  which  knowledge  brings  the  heart  to  humility,  love,  gratitude, 
and  all  that  is  good,  as  well  as  all  that  is  happy.  I  can  desire  nothing 
better  for  you,  my  dear  friend,  than  that  you  and  yours  may  be  led  on 
and  taught  the  fulness  of  these  things,  of  which  we  may  all  know  more 
and  more ! " 

TO  A  FRIEND,  A  MEMBER  OF  PARLIAMENT. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  February,  1838. 

"  I  was  much  'pleased  with  your  warm  invitation  to  St.  Stephen's, 
but  you  must,  if  you  please,  excuse  me.  In  the  first  place,  I  have  no 
wish  to  come  in  till  1840,  when  I  should  like  to  see  what  you  are  after  ; 
and  in  the  second,  there  is  no  constituency  in  the  world  that  I  should 
dislike  so  much  as  that  o*'  Marylebone,  as  I  have  not  even  a  morsel  of  Ra- 
dicalism about  me.  I  should,  I  confess,  like  to  be  in  Parliament  on  the 
6th  of  March,  in  order  to  state  my  opinion  about  Lord  Glenelg. 
Could  I  say  that  he  wanted  energy  ?  The  delivery  of  the  Caffres  and 
their  territory  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  was  a  measure  which  re- 


366  SUBMITS  HIS  PLANS  TO  THE  CABINET.     [CHAP.  xxvi. 

quired  as  much  good  principle,  as  much  steady  determination,  and  as 
much  wise  foresight,  as  any  other  in  my  memory.  I  ought  to  know 
something  of  colonial  secretaries,  for  I  have  worried  each  of  them  in 
succession,  for  twenty  years.  I  have  a  very  high  opinion  of  Sir  George 
Murray,  Lord  Goderich,  Spring  Rice,  and  Lord  Aberdeen,  and  for 
some  of  them  I  feel  the  most  grateful  affection ;  but  there  is  not  one  of 
them  who,  in  my  estimation,  has  acted  more  conscientiously,  or  of  whose 
anxiety  to  do  justice  to  negroes,  Caffres,  Hottentots,  and  Indians,  I  feel 
more  assurance  than  Lord  Glenelg.  Of  course  you  will  not  consider  me 
as  approving  of  the  whole  of  his  policy ;  nevertheless,  for  the  sake  of 
the  weak  and  the  oppressed,  I  earnestly  hope  that  he  may  long  con- 
tinue colonial  minister." 

TO  MISS  GURNET,  NORTHREPPS  COTTAGE. 

"  Hampstead,  April  28. 

"  I  can't  say  how  mean  I  appear  to  myself  for  not  having  acknow- 
ledged the  paper  on  African  commerce.  Acknowledged  it  I  have  a 
hundred  times,  but  never  in  a  letter  to  you.  You  do  not  know,  nor  did 
I  till  two  days  ago,  how  important  it  is.  I  now  find  that  either  the  ob- 
servations, which  I  made  in  a  conversation  with  Lord  Palmerston  some 
time  ago,  or,  which  is  much  more  likely  to  be  the  case,  his  own  wit,  has 
led  him  to  the  same  conclusion  as  my  own,  viz.,  that  the  slave-trade  is 
to  be  abolished  by  legitimate  trade.  If  this  be  so,  our  commercial 
speculations  come  just  at  the  right  time.  They  will  exactly  hit  the 
mark,  and  they  will  operate  upon  the  Government  at  large;  and  I  do 
believe  that  your  labours  could  not  have  been  better  employed.  I  am 
more  hard  run  than  I  used  to  be,  even  in  Parliament." 

Having  come  to  London  prepared  with  all  his  statistical  de- 
tails, he  spent  the  spring,  assisted  by  Mr.  Johnston,  in  verifying 
them  by  evidence  of  first-rate  authority,  both  naval  and  mercan- 
tile. When  he  had  done  this,  he  laid  an  epitome  of  his  plans 
before  different  members  of  the  cabinet ;  by  several  of  whom  a 
disposition  was  evinced  to  investigate  the  subject  further,  and 
he  was  requested  to  prepare  his  views  in  a  more  developed  form 
by  the  beginning  of  the  recess.  Accordingly,  at  the  end  of 
May,  he  went  to  Leamington,  where  he  was  joined  by  Mr. 
Scoble,  an  able  and  hearty  fellow-labourer ;  and  by  Mr.  Mac 
Queen,  who  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  geography  and 
productions  of  Africa,  and  who  had  some  years  before  declared 
his  conviction,  that  the  true  way  (o  abolish  the  slave-trade  would 


1838.]  INTERVIEW  WITH  MINISTERS.  3f-7 

be  to  supplant  it  by  lawful  commerce.  Aided  by  these  gentle- 
men, he  devoted  himself  sedulously  to  the  task,  frequently  work- 
ing at  it  about  twelve  hours  a  day. 

This  '  Letter  to  Lord  Melbourne'  was  intended  exclusively 
for  the  members  of  the  Government,  and,  accordingly,  but 
twenty  copies  were  printed. 

"  The  book  is  fairly  launched,"  he  tells  Mr.  Johnston  (who,  when 
the  work  was  finished,  had  left  him  for  Scotland),  "and  I  am  for  the 
present  a  gentleman  of  leisure,  and  begin  to  think  vehemently  about 
Northrepps,  Felthorpe,  shooting,  and  such  things ;  and  in  a  fortnight's 
time  I  expect  to  be  as  much  occupied  in  labours  by  day,  and  in  dreams 
by  night,  about  rabbits  and  partridges,  as  I  have  been  about  negroes  and 
Fernando  Po.  Our  plans  are  fixed,  and  I  go  to  Poles  on  Thursday ;  to 
Earlham,  Friday  ;  to  Northrepps,  by  Felthorpe,  Saturday ;  and  all  sorts 
of  people  are  summoned  to  meet  us  at  Northrepps  on  Monday. 

"  And  now  how  does  my  little  Andrew  do?  He's  just  the  lad  I 
should  like  to  see  at  this  moment.  My  little  Tommy  chatters  away 
most  fluently,  and  is  exceedingly  improved." 


TO  HIS  SISTER,  MISS  S.  M.  BUXTOX,  NORTHREPPS  COTTAGE. 

"  August  14. 

"  Now  I  must  tell  you  a  little  about  my  adventures.  Yesterday  I  saw 
almost  all  the  ministers,  and  almost  all  their  secretaries ;  and  held  the 
same  language  with  them  all.  "  I  have  put  my  views  in  print,  in  order 
to  tempt  you  to  read  them.  While  Parliament  is  sitting  I  expert  no- 
thing of  you,  but,  promise  me  this,  that  as  soon  as  the  recess  begins,  you 
will  read  my  book  before  you  take  up  any  other  subject.  Give  me  an 
unequivocal  yes  or  no  ;  and,  if  you  say  '  Yes,'  act  with  vigour."  I  have 
got  a  specific  promise  from  each,  that,  without  delay,  they  will  read, 
consider,  and  decide.  I  saw  yesterday  Lords  Melbourne,  Glenelg, 
Palmerston,  and  Howick ;  Hobhouse,  Spring  Rice,  Grey,  Stanley, 
Wood,  Porter,  Ansori,  Stephen.  The  last  sent  me  word  that  he  was 
very  busy,  so  our  interview  must  be  very  short.  I  walked  into  his  room, 
put  the  book  into  his  hand,  and,  without  saying  a  word,  walked  out  again. 
He  called  out,  '  What  does  this  mean  ?  '  '  The  shortest  interview  you 
ever  had  with  any  body,'  said  I.  '  Ah,'  said  he,  '  the  head  is  short 
enough,  but  there's  a  terrible  long  tail  to  it.'  *  *  *  In  short,  I 
was  remarkably  well  pleased  with  my  day's  work.  Got  home  near 
twelve  o'clock.  The  waves  of  the  day  too  agitated  for  easy  getting 
to  sleep." 


368  OUTLINE  OF  HIS  PLANS.  [CHAP.  xxvi. 


TO  J.  J.  GURNEY,  ESQ. 

"August  18. 

"  To  begin  with  that  which  has  chiefly  occupied  my  attention  for 
many  months  past ;  last  November  I  started  on  a  pilgrimage  through  all 
the  books  and  parliamentary  documents  connected  with  the  slave  trade. 
I  began  from  the  very  beginning,  and,  partly  in  person,  still  more  by 
deputy,  I  traversed  the  whole  subject ;  and  such  a  scene  of  diabolism, 
and  such  an  excess  of  misery,  as  I  had  to  survey,  never,  I  am  persuaded, 
before  fell  to  the  lot  of  an  unhappy  investigator.  Will  you  believe  it, 
the  slave  trade,  though  England  has  relinquished  it,  is  now  double  what 
it  was  when  Wilberforce  first  began  ;  and  its  horrors  not  only  aggravated 
by  the  increase  of  the  total,  but  in  each  particular  case  more  intense  than 
they  were  in  1788  ?  Will  you  believe  it,  again,  that  it  requires  at  the 
rate  of  a  thousand  human  beings  per  diem,  in  order  to  satisfy  its  enor- 
mous maw  ?  *  *  *  How  glad  have  I  been  to  have  escaped  from  the 
turmoils  of  Parliament,  and  to  have  my  mind  and  my  time  my  own,  that 
I  might  bestow  them  without  interruption  on  this  vast  mass  of  misery 
and  crime !  " 

A  sentence  in  this  letter  may  give  the  false  impression  that 
Mr.  Wilberforce's  exertions  in  putting  down  the  slave  trade  had 
proved  a  failure ;  whereas  his  main  attack  was  directed  against 
the  British  slave  trade,  and  this  had  been  effectually  stopped. 
That  which  Mr.  Buxton  attacked,  and  which,  unhappily,  still 
exists,  is  the  trade  carried  on  by  the  Spanish,  Portuguese,  and 
Brazilians. 

The  following  is  an  outline  of  Mr.  Buxton's  plans,  as  sug- 
gested in  the  first  instance  in  the  letter  to  Lord  Melbourne,  and 
afterwards  more  fully  detailed  in  the  work  called  '  The  Slave 
Trade  and  its  Remedy.' 

The  first  part  of  these  works  was  devoted  to  the  examination  of 
the  actual  state  of  the  slave  trade  ;  and  startling  indeed  were  the 
facts  unfolded.  Mr.  Buxton  demonstrated  from  official  evidence, 
that,  at  the  very  least,  150,000  negroes  are  annually  imported 
into  Brazil  and  Cuba  alone!  He  drew  also  from  a  vast  number 
of  sources,  a  description  of  the  horrors  attendant  on  the  trade, 
which,  lie  says,  "  has  made  Africa  one  universal  den  of  desolation, 
misery,  and  crime."  He  showed  what  a  waste  of  human  life  is 
incurred  in  the  seizure  of  the  slaves  for  the  merchant ;  in  the 
hurried  march  through  the  desert  to  the  coast,  with  scarce  a 


1838.]  HORRORS  OF  THE  SLAVE  TRADE.  369 

pittance  of  water,  under  the  broiling  sun;  in  the  detention  at  the 
ports,  where  hunger  and  misery  carry  off  numberless  wretches, 
whose  fate  might  yet  be  envied  by  the  miserable  beings  that 
survive.  These,  pressed  down  for  weeks  together  between  the 
decks  of  tlie  slave  ship,  have  to  endure  torments  which  cannot  be 
described.  Scarcely  can  the  mind  realise  the  horrors  of  that 
dreadful  charnel-house;  the  sea-sickness — the  suffocation — the 
terrible  thirst — the  living  chained  to  the  putrid  dead — the  filth 
— the  stench — the  fury- of  despair.  Even  after  lauding,  multi- 
tudes more  perish  in  what  is  called  "  the  seasoning  on  the  coast;" 
and  the  remnant  who  have  lived  through  all  this  misery,  are  then 
sold  to  endure  as  slaves  the  abominable  cruelties  of  Spanish  and 
Portuguese  masters.  He  showed  that,  at  the  very  least,  two  ne- 
groes perish  for  every  one  who  is  sold  into  slavery.  "  In  no 
species  of  merchandise,"  he  exclaims,  "  is  there  such  waste  of  the 
raw  material,  as  in  the  merchandise  of  man.  In  what  other  trade 
do  two-thirds  of  the  goods  perish,  in  order  that  one-third  may 
reach  the  market?" 

He  recommended  the  adoption  of  two  preliminary  measures ; 
— one,  the  concentration  upon  the  coast  of  Africa  of  a  more  effi- 
cient naval  force ;  the  other,  the  formation  of  a  chain  of  treaties 
with  the  native  chiefs  of  the  interior.  These  two  measures  were 
not  brought  forward  as  the  remedy  itself,  but  merely  as  clearing 
the  way  for  its  operation. 

"  The  real  remedy,  the  true  ransom  for  Africa,  will  be  found," 
says  Mr.  Buxton,  "  in  her  fertile  soil ;  "  and  he  drew  up,  from  a 
vast  variety  of  authorities,  an  account  of  the  boundless  resources 
which  West  Africa  contains.  He  established  the  fact,  first,  that 
gold,  iron,  and  copper  abound  in  many  districts  of  the  country ; 
secondly,  that  vast  regions  are  of  the  most  fertile  description,  and 
are  capable  of  producing  rice,  wheat,  hemp,  indigo,  coffee,  &c., 
and,  above  all,  the  sugar-cane  and  cotton,  in  any  quantities ; 
while  the  forests  contain  every  kind  of  timber — mahogany,  ebony, 
dye-woods,  the  oil-palm,  &c. ;  besides  caoutchouc  and  other 
gums.  He  also  proved  that  the  natives,  so  far  from  shunning 
intercourse  with  us,  have  been  in  every  case  eager  and  impor- 
tunate that  we  should  settle  among  them.* 

*  As  an  indication  of  the  care  and  labour  bestowed  in  consulting  autho- 
rities, those  may  be  enumerated,  to  whom  reference  is  made,  upon  the  single 

2   B 


870  FACILITIES  FOR  COMMERCIAL  INTERCOURSE.  [CHAP.XXVI. 

While  the  capabilities  of  Africa  are  thus  extensive,  the 
facilities  for  commercial  intercourse  are  on  the  same  scale.  He 
mentioned  those  afforded  by  the  great  rivers  on  the  west  coast  of 
Africa,  especially  the  Niger,  which  had  been  explored  by  Lander 
to  the  distance  of  500  miles  from  the  sea,  and  the  Tchadda, 
which  runs  into  it;  and  he  dwelt  much  on  the  singular  fitness  of 
the  situation  of  Fernando  Po,  as  an  emporium  of  commerce.  He 
emphatically  declared  his  conviction,  that  Central  Africa  pos- 
sesses within  itself  everything  necessary  for  the  growth  of  com- 
merce ;  and  he  proceeded  to  point  out  in  confirmation  of  this 
statement,  that  in  certain  spots  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  where 
some  degree  of  security  had  been  afforded,  agriculture  and  com- 
merce had  as  a  consequence  immediately  sprung  up  and  the 
slave  trade  had  withered  away.  He  derived  his  facts  from 
authorities  of  the  most  varied  and  impartial  description,  in- 
cluding extracts  from  the  authors  most  conversant  with  Africa ; 
from  the  writings  of  the  governors  of  Sierra  Leone,  Fernando 
Po,  and  the  Gambia;  from  those  of  all  the  travellers  who 
had  explored  "Western  Africa ;  and  from  those  of  African 
merchants,  scientific  men,  and  others,  who  had  studied  the  sub- 
ject at  home. 

"  It  was  not,"  he  says,  "  till  after  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
all  that  was  wanting  for  the  deliverance  of  Africa  was  that  agriculture, 
commerce,  and  instruction  should  have  a  fair  trial,  that  I  discerned  that 
others  had  arrived  by  practical  experience  at  the  same  result  which 
I  had  learnt  from  the  facts,  and  from  reasoning  upon  them ;  and 
I  was  very  well  pleased  to  renounce  any  little  credit  which  might 
attach  to  the  discovery,  in  exchange  for  the  solid  encouragement  and 
satisfaction  of  finding  that  what  with  me  was  but  theory,  was  with  them 
the  fruit  of  experience." 

"While  he  laid  such  stress  upon  the  importance  of  protecting 
and  encouraging  legitimate  commerce  in  Africa,  he  enforced, 
with  equal  earnestness,  the  necessity  of  raising  the  native  cha- 

item  of  cotton.  They  consist  of  Sir  Fulk  Grevell,  Beaver,  Dalrymple, 
Col.  Denham,  Clapperton,  Mungo  Park,  Ashnum,  Lander,  Laird,  the 
Rev.  J.  Pinney,  the  Rev.  J.  Seys,  Mac  Queen,  De  Caille',  Dupuis,  and 
Robertson. 


1838.]  SPECIFIC  SUGGESTIONS.  371 

racter  by  imparting  Christian  instruction.  "  Let  missionaries 
and  schoolmasters,  the  plough  and  the  spade,  go  together."  "It 
is  the  Bible  and  the  plough  that  must  regenerate  Africa ;"  and 
he  gives  details  proving  the  powerful  influence,  moral  and  phy- 
sical, which  missions  have  exerted  over  the  aborigines  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  world. 

The  following  were  some  of  the  specific  steps  suggested  by 
him  for  turning  the  attention  of  the  Africans  from  their  trade 
in  men  to  the  trade  in  merchandise — That  the  British  Govern- 
ment should  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  preventive  squadron 
on  the  coast — should  purchase  Fernando  Po,  as  a  kind  of  head- 
quarters and  mart  of  commerce — should  give  protection  to  pri- 
vate enterprises — and  should  enter  into  treaty  with  the  native 
chiefs  for  the  relinquishment  of  the  slave-trade,  for  grants  of 
lands  to  be  brought  into  cultivation,  and  for  arrangements  to 
facilitate  a  legitimate  trade. 

He  proposed  that  an  expedition  should  be  sent  up  the 
Niger  for  the  purpose  of  setting  on  foot  the  preliminary  ar- 
rangements in  Africa  for  the  agricultural,  commercial,  and 
missionary  settlements ;  of  entering  into  treaties  with  the  na- 
tive chiefs ;  of  convincing  the  negroes  of  the  uprightness  of 
our  intentions ;  and  of  ascertaining  the  state  of  the  country 
along  that  vast  tract  of  land,  which  is  traversed  by  the  river 
Niger. 

A  company  was  also  to  be  formed,  by  private  individuals,  for 
the  introduction  of  agriculture  and  commerce  into  Africa.  This 
was  to  be  effected  by  sending  out  qualified  agents  to  form  settle- 
ments in  favourable  situations ;  to  establish  model  farms ;  to  set 
up  factories,  well  stored  with  British  goods,  and  thus  to  sow  the 
first  seeds  of  commerce ;  and,  in  short,  to  adopt  those  means 
which  have  been  elsewhere  effectual  in  promoting  trade  and  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  He  admitted  entirely  that  this  company 
must  not  expect  speedy  returns,  although  he  strongly  maintained 
the  reasonable  prospect  of  eventual  profit. 

Upon  private  individuals,  also,  would  devolve  the  responsi- 
bility of  co-operating  with  the  religious  societies  in  sending 
out  a  strong  force  of  those  upon  whom  he  especially  de- 
pended for  the  deliverance  of  Africa,  missionaries  and  native 
teachers. 

2  B2 


.•372  IMPORTANCE  OF  NATIVE  AGENCY.    [CHAP.  xxvi. 

He  dwelt  much  upon  the  importance  of  making  use  of  native 
agency  for  this  purpose. 

"  The  climate  of  Africa,"  he  writes  to  the  Rev.  Hugh  S towel  1, 
"  presents  an  obstacle  to  European  agents  being  employed  in  the  work 
to  any  extent,  and  we  must  look  to  the  natives  themselves  to  be  the 
agents  in  this  great  enterprise.  This  is  no  new  scheme,  for  you  will 
observe  that  it  has  been  tried  in  various  quarters  of  the  globe  with 
considerable  success,  and  various  denominations  of  Christians  are  follow- 
ing out  the  plan,  with  zeal  and  perseverance,  in  India  and  Africa." 


1838.]  COMMUNICATIONS  WITH  GOVERNMENT.  :j73 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

1838,  1839. 

Communications  with  Government,  and  with  Private  Individuals  —  African 
Civilization  Society  —  Preparation  of '  The  Slave  Trade  and  its  Remedy ' 
for  Publication  —  Departure  for  Italy. 

MR.  BUXTON  watched  with  great  anxiety  the  effect  that  might 
be  produced  on  the  ministers  by  the  statements  thus  laboriously 
prepared.  In  the  beginning  of  September  he  was  summoned  to 
town  by  Lord  Glenelg;  he  writes  thence  — 

TO  ANDREW  JOHNSTON,  ESQ. 

"  Colonial  Office,  Sept.  5,  1838. 

"  Lord  Glenelg  sent  me  word  on  Monday  that  he  wanted  an  hour's 
conversation  with  me.  With  the  ardour  natural  to  authors,  I  con- 
strued this  into  a  slave-trade  conference,  the  acquiescence  of  the  Govern- 
ment in  my  plan,  and  Africa  almost  delivered.  I  have  now  been 
•waiting  till  half  of  my  hour  has  elapsed,  so  I  am  getting  fidgetty  and 
fearful  that  my  dreams  will  not  be  realised.  However,  I  believe  that  a 
good  Providence  has  undertaken  the  management  of  this  business,  and 
therefore  I  will  not  be  troubled. 

"  Near  five  o'clock.  Thank  God !  I  say  it  with  all  my  heart,  thank 
God !  the  Government,  says  Lord  Glenelg,  are  deeply  interested  by 
my  book.  Melbourne  writes  to  him  strongly  about  it.  The  cabinet 
meet  on  Friday  on  the  subject.  Glenelg  says  they  accede  to  all  I  have 
said  as  to  previous  failures.  They  think  I  have  greatly  underrated  the 
extent,  and  still  more  the  mortality.  In  short,  he  was  convinced,  to 
my  heart's  content.  I  have  since  seen  Lushington ;  he  is  delighted 
with  the  book ;  accedes  to  it  with  all  his  heart.  In  short,  a  happy 
day." 

"  I  am  highly  pleased,"  he  writes  home,  "  and  very,  very 
thankful,  and  feel  very  keenly — what  am  I  that  this  mercy  should 
be  heaped  upon  me  ?" 


374        COMMUNICATIONS  WITH  GOVERNMENT.     [CHAP.  xxvn. 

TO  JOSEPH  J.  GURNEY,  ESQ. 

"  Northrepps,  Dec.  7. 

"  Within  the  last  month,  I  have  been  to  town,  and  have  had  many 
interviews  with  members  of  the  cabinet,  and  I  find  that  my  book  has 
made  a  deeper  impression  upon  them  than  I  had  ventured  to  hope 
for.  They  all  admit  that  the  facts  are  placed  beyond  all  dispute. 
They  tell  me  that  they  want  no  further  evidence  whatsoever  of  the  ex- 
tent and  horrors  of  the  trade ;  and  they  admit,  in  very  strong  terms, 
that  they  are  converts  to  the  views  which  I  have  developed.  In  short, 
the  subject  now  under  consideration  is,  how  they  shall  act  ?  I  have 
been  embodying  my  views  in  nine  propositions,  and  have  stated  seri- 
atim the  steps  they  ought  to  take,  and  the  order  in  which  they  should 
be  taken.  I  expect  that  this  slave-trade  question  will  find  me  in  em- 
ployment for  the  rest  of  my  days,  and  my  hope  is  that  you  and  I  may 
work  together  in  it  for  many  years  to  come.  I  am  not  so  sanguine  as 
to  expect  that  so  vast  a  work  will  be  rapidly  executed.  Our  favourite 
text  is,  '  not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord.' 

"  Now  for  a  little  domestic  news.  Everything  is  going  on  smoothly 
with  us.  *  *  *  I  am  in  fair  health,  in  excellent  spirits,  and  with 
causes  for  thankfulness,  turn  which  way  I  will.  *  *  *  The  Cottage 
ladies  are  much  as  usual  in  health.  It  is  a  vast  pleasure  to  have  their 
cordial  co-operation  and  assistance  in  all  my  objects.  The  Book  goes 
by  my  name,  but  in  truth  it  is  the  production  of  us  all. 

"  You  will  be  interested  to  hear  that  we  have  at  length  got  a  Bible 
Society  at  Holt.  Finding  it  in  vain  to  wait  for  the  co-operation  of  the 
clergy,  we  determined  to  act  without  them.  I  took  the  chair,  and  I 
hardly  was  ever  present  at  so  satisfactory  a  meeting.  The  ladies  are 
active,  they  have  already  got  ten  districts,  though  the  society  is  only  in 
its  infancy." 

The  Government  had  acceded  to  his  theory,  it  now  remained 
to  be  seen  whether  they  would  adopt  his  practical  suggestions. 
He  writes  from  London — 

"  I  was  ushered  into  the  presence  of  Lord  Glenelg,  muttering  to  my- 
self, '  O  Cod,  give  me  good  speed  this  day  !'***!  soon  found 
that  my  nine  propositions  had  worked  admirably.  They  were  formally 
discussed  in  the  Cabinet.  Glenelg  intimated  that  the  Ministers  were 
unanimous,  and  that  they  had  resolved,  with  some  modifications,  to  act 
upon  them.  I  was  told  that  Lord  —  —  said  it  was  the  boldest  con- 
ception that  had  been  struck  out  in  our  days.  *  *  *  I  am  now 
going  to  Upton  to  dinner.  God  grant  I  may  hear  good  accounts  from 


1839.]  LINES  BY  MRS.  OPIE.  375 

Northrcpps,  and  then  I  shall  be  lull  of  gladness  of  heart.     Is  not  my 
news  delightful  ? 

"  I  did  not  sleep  well,"  he  tells  Mr.  Johnston  ;  "  who  could  expect 
it,  after  such  a  day ;  after  finding  that  it  was  intended  to  realise  my 
most  intense  desire  ?  I  was  also  delighted  at  learning  at  the  Colonial 
Office,  that  the  Kat  River  Hottentots,  Caffres,  West  Indian  negroes, 
are  all  doing  beautifully." 

The  result  of  these  interviews  was  a  request  on  the  part  of 
Government  that  he  should  enlarge  and  publish  his  work  to 
arouse  the  public  mind,  but  it  was  desired  that  the  practical  sug- 
gestions should  be  kept  back  till  they  had  more  fully  determined 
on  their  course.  The  resignation,  shortly  afterwards,  of  Lord 
Glenelg,  was  deeply  regretted  by  Mr.  Buxton.  Lord  Normanby, 
however,  adopted  the  views  of  his  predecessor,  and  the  whole 
Cabinet  appears  to  have  considered  the  advantage  which  would 
accrue  to  England,  as  well  as  to  Africa,  from  the  opening  of  so 
vast  a  field  of  commercial  speculation,  as  sufficiently  important 
to  warrant  their  attempting  to  carry  them  into  effect. 

TO  JOSEPH  J.  GURXEY,  ESQ. 

"  March  5,  1839. 

"  Lord  Glenelg's  retirement  from  office  is  a  very  heavy  blow,  and  if 
it  were  not  that  I  have  all-sufficient  proof  that  the  great  questions  of 
slavery  and  the  slave  trade  are  under  the  management  of  better  than 
human  hands,  I  should  be  very  uncomfortable  indeed.  Our  friend  Joseph 
Sturge  is  somewhat  restive  about  my  slave  trade  views  ;  won't  go  along 
with  me.  No  matter ;  he'll  take  his  own  line,  and  nevertheless  the 
truth  is  preached,  and  therein  I  will  rejoice." 

On  the  1st  of  April  he  was  much  pleased  by  receiving  the  fol- 
lowing lines  from  his  valued  friend,  Mrs.  Opie. 

TO  THOMAS  FOWELL  BUXTOX,  ESQ.,  ON  HIS  BIRTHDAY. 

1st  of  4th  mo.,  1839. 
I  saw  the  dawn  iu  brightness  break, 

That  ushered  in  thy  natal  day, 
And  bade  my  humble  lyre  awake, 

To  breathe  to  thee  our  votive  lay. 

Too  soon  such  hopes  away  were  driven, 

But,  while  I  sat  in  mute  despair, 
I  felt  a  dearer  power  was  given, 

And  breathed  a  holier  tribute — PRAYER. 


376  LETTER  TO  THE  REV.  J.  M.  TREW.     [CHAP.  xxvn. 

And  lo  !  from  forth  my  inmost  heart, 

For  thee  did  solemn  prayers  ascend, 
Prayers,  such  as  voice  could  ne'er  impart, 

Arose  for  Mercy's  child,  and  Afric's  frieud  ! 

I  wish'd  thee  years  of  vigorous  health, 

Thy  Christian  labours  to  pursue : 
I  wish'd  thee  still  increasing  wealth, 

To  do  the  good  thou  fain  would'st  do. 

I  wish'd,  alas  !  what  ne'er  may  be, 

That  ere  thou  reach  thy  well-earn'd  rest, 
Thou  inay'st  behold  thy  Afric  free, 

And  know  her  myriads  call  thee  blest. 

And,  Oh !  I  wish  thy  toils  this  nobler  meed, 
To  thee  more  dear  than  aught  of  earthly  fame, 

May  Afric's  sons  from  heathen  darkness  freed, 
Be  taught  to  know  and  bless  the  SAVIOUR'S  name  I 

TO  EDWARD  N.  BUXTOtf,  ESQ. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  April  12. 

"  I  am  hard  at  work  upon  my  second  volume,  but  the  present  subject, 
namely,  the  mode  of  delivering  Africa,  requires  a  vast  deal  deeper 
thought  than  the  mere  detail  of  enormities.  I  earnestly  hope  that  I 
shall  be  kept  by  a  good  Providence  from  falling  into  any  gross  errors. 
I  am  sure  I  have  very  little  reliance  on  my  own  knowledge  or  wisdom 
in  such  abstruse. considerations.  But  we  must  hope  to  be  guided  by  a 
better  than  human  wisdom,  and  defended  by  something  stronger  than 
the  human  arm." 

TO  THE  REV.  J.  M.  TREW. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  April. 

"  I  am  amused  by  the  generous  indignation  expressed  by  yourself  and 
Stokes,  as  to  the  attack  made  upon  me  in  the  '  Emancipator.'  I  cannot, 
however,  say  that  it  provoked  me  in  the  slightest  degree.  I  know  that 
a  little  unfair  censure  is  part  of  the  bargain  in  any  great  work,  and,  for 
my  part,  abused  as  I  have  been,  I  must  confess  that  in  summing  up  the 
two  accounts,  of  unmerited  blame  and  unmerited  commendation,  I  find 
that  the  balance  is  on  the  side  of  the  latter. 

"  It  would  have  been  utterly  at  variance  with  all  my  notions  to  have 
given  it  an  answer.  Silent  disregard  is  the  severest  and  most  justifiable 
species  of  revenge. 

"But  now  for  business:  I  am  strongly  of  opinion  with  yon,  that  the 
time  is  come  for  doing  something  more  with  respect  to  the  agents,  with 


1839.]  NATIVE  SCHOOLMASTERS.  377 

whom  the  West  Indies  will  supply  us.  I  am  entirely  engaged  with  my 
second  volume,  and  with  digesting  the  details  of  the  general  plan ;  so  I 
must  beg  you  to  turn  your  attention  to  a  new  address  to  the  missionaries 
and  schoolmasters  in  the  West.  Will  you  do  this  ?  In  any  other  case 
I  should  apologise  for  throwing  a  burden  off  my  own  shoulders  on  to 
yours  ;  but  I  have  come  to  a  very  convenient  compromise  with  my  con- 
science, viz.,  that  in  the  great  cause  of  African  deliverance  I  have  a 
right  to  the  energetic  services  of  every  one  who  feels  as  I  do ;  and 
hence  no  scruple  is  admissible  as  to  giving  trouble.  Upon  this  principle 
I  slave  all  my  family,  and  not  a  few  of  my  neighbours. 

"  I  send  you  Miller's  letter  from  Antigua,  telling  me  that  he  has 
already  ten  good  Christian  Blacks  ready  to  be  located  on  the  Niger." 

TO  THE  SAME. 

"  I  am  more  and  more  impressed  with  the  importance  of  normal 
schools.  It  is  not  only  that  there  will  be  a  great  demand  for  school- 
masters in  the  WTest  Indies,  but  I  have  a  strong  confidence  that  Africa 
will,  ere  long,  be  opened  to  commerce,  civilization,  and  Christianity; 
4nd  then  there  will  be  need,  indeed,  of  educated  and  religious  black 
^/schoolmasters.  The  idea  of  compensation  to  Africa,  through  the  means 
of  the  West  Indies,  is  a  great  favourite  with  me  ;  and  I  think  we  shall 
see  the  day  when  we  shall  be  called  to  pour  a  flood  of  light  and  truth 
upon  miserable  Africa.  Pray,  therefore,  bear  in  mind,  that  we  ought 
to  do  a  great  deal  as  to  normal  schools." 

TO  MRS.  JOHNSTON. 

"April  26. 

"  Somehow  or  other  I  am  in  rather  a  low  key  about  Africa.  It  does 
not  seem  much  regarded.  The  world  is  busy  about  something  else. 
But  this  is  all  nonsense,  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  that  part  of  the 
story ;  my  business  is  to  get  my  second  volume  out,  and  my  plan 
arranged,  and  then  it  will  be  lodged  in  better  hands  than  ours,  so  I  do 
not  mean  to  mope  about  the  matter." 

TO  MISS  GURNEY  AND  MISS  BUXTON,  AT  NORTHREPPS  COTTAGE. 

"  Spitalfields,  June  10. 

"  My  dear  Ladies, — I  have  received  your  magnificent  packet  to-day, 
and  mean  to  read  it  with  the  party  to-night.  When  shall  I  have 
Mr.  Richards'  commencement  ?  I  spent  yesterday  at  Poles,  and  very 
much  enjoyed  myself,  spending  hours  in  the  wood.  'Then  are  they 
because  they  be  quiet.'  If  we  do  meet  at  Rome  this  winter,  we 


378  PRELIMINARY  MEETING.  [CHAP,  xxvii. 

will  enjoy  ourselves.     '  We'll  never  do  nothing  whatever  on  earth,'  and 
if  that  is  not  pleasure,  what  is  ?     I  am  sick  of  turmoiling." 

TO  MR.  AND  MRS.  JOHNSTON,  ON  TAKING  UP  THEIR  RESIDENCE  AT 

HALESWORTH. 

"  Upton,  June  28. 

"  In  the  first  place,  let  me  utter  that  which  has  settled  down  upon 
my  mind  for  some  days,  namely,  a  hearty  desire  that  blessings  of  all 
sorts,  and  the  best  of  their  kind,  may  be  poured  down  upon  your  Hales- 
worth  habitation,  and  that  you  may  all  of  you  flourish  in  health  and 
wealth,  cheerfulness  and  popularity,  in  neighbours,  friends,  and  dearest 
relatives,  and  in  a  wide  and  deep  stream  of  that  water,  '  which  springeth 
up  unto  eternal  life !' 

"  Yesterday  I  was  whipt  off  to  a  meeting  in  the  City,  on  the  subject 
of  Bethnal  Green,  and  had  to  tell  the  Bishop  of  London  that  I  was 
ready  to  join  Methodists,  or  Baptists,  or  Quakers,  or  any  honest  body, 
in  spreading  Christianity  in  Bethnal  Green ;  but  he  took  it  very 
kindly." 

Mr.  Buxton  spent  some  months  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lon- 
don ;  incessantly  engaged  both  in  communications  with  the 
Government,  and  in  endeavouring,  with  great  success,  to  excite 
the  interest  and  obtain  the  co-operation  of  many  of  his  friends. 
In  this  as  in  previous  undertakings  he  acted  in  complete  concert 
with  Dr.  Lushington,  with  whom  every  plan  was  carefully  dis- 
cussed, and  who  bore  his  full  share  of  the  burden.  At  Dr. 
Lushington's  house  was  held  a  preliminary  meeting  of  a  few 
select  friends,  before  whom  Mr.  Buxton  wished  in  the  first 
instance  to  lay  his  views.* 

*  The  following  was  the  memorandum  prepared  by  him  for  this  meeting: 

"April,  1839. 

"  The  principle  has  been  sufficiently  explained  : — It  is  the  deliverance  of 
Africa,  by  calling  forth  her  own  resources. 

"  In  order  to  do  this  we  must : — 1.  Impede  the  traffic  ;  2.  Establish  com- 
merce ;  3.  Teach  cultivation ;  4.  Impart  education. 

"  To  accomplish  the  first  object  we  must  increase  and  concentrate  our 
squadron,  and  make  treaties  with  coast  and  inland  chiefs. 

"  To  accomplish  the  second,  we  must  settle  factories  and  send  out  trading 
ships. 

"To  accomplish  the  third,  we  must  obtain  by  treaty  lands  for  cultivation, 
and  set  on  foot  a  company. 

"  To  accomplish  the  fourth,  we  must  revive  African  institutions :  look 
out  for  Black  agents,  &c. 

"  What  then  is  actually  to  be  done  now  by  Government?     Increase  the 


1839.]  CLIMATE  OF  AFRICA.  379 

He  writes — 

••  We  have  had  a  highly  satisfactory  meeting.  I  felt  that  I  had  my 
case  well  up,  and  was  troubled  by  no  worrying  doubts.  Every  one 
expressed  that  they  were  perfectly  satisfied  upon  every  point.  Lord 
Ashley  was  very  hearty  indeed. 

"  The  line  I  took  about  the  climate  of  Africa  was  this  :  I  stated  that 
my  plan  was,  to  employ  only  a  few  Europeans,  and  to  depend  chiefly 
on  the  people  of  colour.  I  said  at  once,  that  I  gave  up  all  the  mouths 
of  the  rivers,  and  all  the  swampy  ground,  and  looked  only  to  the  high 
ground  at  the  foot  of  the  Kong  Mountains  ;  that  I  would  not  pledge 
myself  to  the  healthiness  even  of  that  part,  but  that  I  expected  that 
it  would  prove  very  different  from  the  general  notions  of  African 
climate." 

This  occasion  is  thus  referred  to  by  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Trew : — 

"The  first 'meeting  (preparatory  to  the  formation  of  the  African 
Civilization  Society),  which  was  strictly  private,  and  at  which  Mr. 
Buxton  made  known  his  plans  for  prosecuting  that  great  work,  was 
attended  by  about  twenty  noblemen  and  gentlemen.  I  never  shall  for- 
get his  calm  and  dignified  composure  upon  that  occasion.  Before  he 
enunciated  a  syllable,  he  seemed  to  feel  as  if  the  destinies  of  Africa 
were  suspended  upon  the  events  of  that  memorable  day.  I  could  not 
but  lift  up  my  heart  in  silent  prayer,  that  the  blessing  of  the  most  High 
God  might  rest  upon  his  undertaking.  And  sure  I  am,  that  such  was 
the  frame  of  mind  in  which  he  ventured  upon  his  work  ;  so  humble  was 
he  in  his  address,  showing  such  ready  deference  to  his  friends,  such 
touching  sympathy  for  the  objects  of  his  solicitude,  so  alive  to  the  im- 
portance of  wisdom  in  his  deliberation,  and  "prudence  in  his  plans. 
Meeting  after  meeting,  private  conferences  with  his  more  immediate 
advisers,  and  public  committees  of  men  of  all  parties  in  politics,  and 
opposite  opinions  in  religion,  only  tended  to  show  how  eminently 
calculated  he  was  for  uniting  men  together  on  the  great  platform  ot 
benevolence. 

"  Nor  was  it  only  towards  his  superiors  and  equals  in  rank  and  station 
that  this  truly  Christian  spirit  was  evinced.  All  who  laboured  with 
him,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  could  not  fail  to  love  him.  How 
often,  when  worn  with  toil,  and  pressed,  beyond  the  powers  of  his  natu- 


squadron  ;  obtain  Fernando  Po ;  prepare  and  instruct  embassies  (or  autho- 
rize governors)  to  form  treaties ;  including  prevention  of  slave  traffic  ; 
arrangements  for  trade  ;  grants  of  land.  By  us ;  form  a  trading  company ; 
revive  the  African  Institution." 


380  FIRST  MEETING  OF  THE  SOCIETY.      [CHAP.  xxvn. 

rally  vigorous  frame,  with  the  weight  of  his  labours,  he  has  come  to 
town,  and  visited,  as  was  his  custom,  almost  immediately  afterwards  the 
African  Office ;  notwithstanding  that  such  visits  were  usually  the  pre- 
cursors of  enlarged  activity,  yet  there  was  not  a  servant  in  that  employ- 
ment who,  during  the  period  of  their  most  arduous  toils,  did  not  feel  his 
kindness,  and  gather  from  his  beautiful  example  fresh  motives  to  patient 
and  enduring  activity.  Hence,  a  commission  to  execute,  a  paper  to 
copy,  or  a  mission  to  engage  in. for  Sir  Fowell,  was  undertaken  with  an 
alacrity  which  could  not  fail  to  manifest  their  respect  and  affection  for 
his  character.  All  loved  him,  honoured  him,  and  hence  strove  to  please 
him,  with  an  earnestness  which  is  too  seldom  to  be  found  in  the  business 
of  life.  And  when  he  came  amongst  them  with  a  brow  clouded  with 
care,  or  internally  perhaps  labouring  under  some  recent  discovery 
whereby  his  great  scheme  of  benevolence  was  retarded,  there  was  not 
one  amongst  the  paid  servants  of  the  office  over  which  he  presided  who 
did  not  sympathise  with  him.  There  was  indeed  a  calmness  and  a 
composure  in  his  spirit  in  his  great  trials  which  rendered  him  an  object 
of  peculiar  interest  in  public  life.  The  mind,  whilst  it  seemed  as  it 
were  so  wrapped  up  in  its  own  contemplations,  had  not  one  complaining 
reflection,  as  if  this  or  the  other  course  would  have  been  a  more  suc- 
cessful one.  The  bitter  and  cruel  reproaches  of  some  portion  of  the 
public  press  in  no  way  affected  him.  It  was  evident  that  he  held  a 
principle  within  himself  upon  which  to  fall  back ;  and,  thus  staying 
himself  upon  the  Lord  his  God,  he  was  enabled  to  possess  his  soul  in 
patience,  and  to  rest  assured  that,  in  every  event,  God's  Providence 
would  finally  work  for  good  to  the  cause  of  suffering  humanity." 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Society  for  the  Extinction  of  the 
Slave  Trade  and  the  Civilization  of  Africa  was  held  at  the  end 
of  July  :  it  proved  highly  satisfactory.  The  Bishop  of  London, 
Lord  Ashley,  Sir  Robert  Inglis,  Sir  Thomas  Acland,  and  other 
influential  individuals,  took  an  active  part.  Considerable  funds 
were  raised,  and,  "  in  short,"  Mr.  Buxton  writes  to  Mr.  Trew, 

"  It  was  a  glorious  meeting,  quite  an  epitome  of  the  state.  Whig, 
Tory,  and  Radical ;  Dissenter,  Low  Church,  High  Church,  tip-top 
High  Church,  or  Oxfordism,  all  united.  I  was  unwell,  and  made  a 
wretched  hand  of  my  exposition,  but  good  men  and  true  came  to  my 
assistance,  and  supplied  my  deficiencies,  and  no  one  better  than  the 
Bishop  of  London. 

"  We  determined  to  form  two  associations,  perfectly  distinct  from 
each  other,  but  having  one  common  object  in  view,  the  putting  an  end 
to  the  slave-trade.  One  of  these  associations  to  be  of  an  exclusively 


1839.]  DEATH  OF  HIS  YOUNGER  SISTER.  381 

philanthropic  character,  and  designed  mainly  to  diffuse  among  the 
African  tribes  the  light  of  Christianity,  and  the  blessings  of  civiliza- 
tion and  free  labour ;  the  other  to  have  a  commercial  character,  and 
to  unite  with  the  above  objects  the  pursuit  of  private  enterprise  and 
profit." 

A  few  days  afterwards  Lord  Normanby  announced  to  a  de- 
putation, consisting,  amongst  others,  of  the  Bishop  of  London, 
Lords  Euston,  Worsley,  and  Teignmouth,  Sir  T.  D.  Acland, 
Sir  R.  H.  Inglis,  and  Dr.  Lushington,  that  the  Government  had 
come  to  the  conclusion  to  send  a  frigate  and  two  steamers  to 
explore  the  Niger,  and  if  possible  to  set  on  foot  commercial 
relations  with  the  tribes  on  its  banks.  Sir  Edward  Parry,  the 
Comptroller  of  Steam  Machinery,  was  appointed  to  prepare  these 
vessels,  and  thus  began  the  Niger  Expedition. 

The  gratification  which  this  success  gave  Mr.  Buxton  was 
soon  clouded  by  private  sorrows.  His  much-loved  sister,  Sarah 
Maria  Buxton,  of  Northrepps  Cottage,  died  very  suddenly  at 
Clifton,  on  the  18th  of  August,  1839.  This  sister,  whose 
brightness  and  activity  of  mind  triumphed  over  the  infirmity  of 
very  feeble  health,  was  ardently  devoted  to  her  brother,  and  took 
the  liveliest  interest  in  his  undertakings.  He  deeply  lamented 
her  loss,  which  he  said  was  the  loss  of  a  friend,  no  less  than  of 
a  sister.  He  thus  mentions  the  event,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Joseph 
J.  Gurney : — 

"  It  is  a  vast  void  to  us  ;  she  was  part  of  our  daily  existence ;  her 
affection  towards  me  was  surpassing  the  love  of  women.  However,  there 
is  exceeding  comfort  in  the  reflection  that  her  battle  is  fought,  her  pains 
endured,  her  labours  completed,  and  that  henceforth  a  crown  of  glory  is 
provided  for  her  from  her  bounteous  Lord." 

TO  THE  REV.  JOSIAH  PRATT. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  Aug.  26. 

"  I  was  absent  from  home  when  your  letter  arrived.  A  very  severe 
family  loss,  the  death  of  my  sister,  rendered  it  impossible  to  write  on  the 
day  of  my  return.  *  *  *  I  was  very  glad  to  receive  your  letter  agreeing 
to  join  the  African  Society,  for  my  impressions  and  anxieties  with  regard 
to  Africa,  and  my  desire  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  was  planted  in  my 
mind  in  Wheeler  Street  Chapel,  and  this  has  led  me  particularly  to  desire 
to  have  you  as  a  coadjutor  in  our  present  enterprise.  I  feel  deep  gratitude 


382  CIVILIZATION  SOCIETY.  [CHAP.  xxvn. 

to  you,  little  as  I  show  it,  for  the  stream  of  strong  Christian  truth  which 
you  poured  upon  my  mind  and  my  wife's,  when  we  were  first  entering 
upon  life. 

"  In  looking  at  a  great  subject,  every  one  has  his  favourite  point  of 
view.  None  takes  such  hold  of  me,  as  the  conception  of  the  possibility, 
with  God's  help,  of  pouring  a  stream  of  true  light  into  Africa." 


"tO  JOSEPH  J.  GURNEY,  ESQ. 

"  Northrepps,  Sept. 

"  While  I  was  in  London,  we  had  heavy  work  to  perform.  The  expe- 
dition which  we  have  been  urging  upon  Government,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  amicable  treaties  with  the  natives  up  the  Niger  for  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  vile  traffic,  and  for  trying  the  effect  of  agricultural  cultivation, 
is  to  sail  in  November.  We  had  also  to  select  five  commissioners,  whom 
we  propose  to  send  out  ;  and  it  is  not  very  easy  to  find  persons,  possess- 
ing at  once  nautical  skill,  and  missionary  spirit,  habits  of  command, 
agricultural  knowledge,  and  a  deep  interest  in  the  negro  race.  WTe  have, 
however,  found  them. 

"  Again,  we  want  black  persons  from  all  conceivable  situations,  from 
the  highest  to  the  lowest,  in  our  African  colony,  —  and  every  one  ought 
to  be  a  real  Christian  ;  but  a  good  Providence  has  prepared  these  in  the 
West  Indies  and  at  Sierra  Leone. 

"  Again,  we  want  a  combination  of  all  sects  and  all  parties  in  England, 
without  going  to  the  public  ;  this  has  been  managed.  The  Bishop  of 
London  and  S.  Gurney,  Wesleyans,  Baptists,  &c.,  sail  along  very  quietly 
together.  The  persons  present  at  our  first  private  meeting,  will  show 
that  politics  do  not  obtrude  themselves.  It  consisted  of  Whigs:  Lush- 
ington,  W.  Evans,  Buxton;  —  Tories:  Lord  Ashley,  Sir  R.  Inglis, 
Gladstone.  Since  that  time  we  have  vastly  increased.  We  have 
obtained  plenty  of  high  names,  a  great  deal  of  money,  and  a  working 
committee  of  the  right  sort.  In  short,  our  prospects  are  encouraging  : 
but  I  should  not  say  so  if  I  did  not  perceive,  even  more  manifestly  than 
in  the  slavery  question,  that  we  have  ONE,  INVISIBLE  but  IRRESISTIBLE, 
who  takes  care  of  us. 

"  Ever  yours,  my  dear  Joseph,  in  the  threefold  cord  of  taste,  affection. 
and  religion,  if  I  may  presume  to  include  the  last, 

"  T.  FOWELL  BUXTON." 

To  an  offer  from  his  nephew,  Mr.  "W.  E.  Forster,  to  assist  in 
the  undertaking  in  any  way  his  uncle  might  please,  whether  in 
England  or  Africa,  he  replies  — 


1839.]  DEPARTURE  FOR  ROME.  383 

"Oct.  18. 

"  I  have  shamefully  delayed  answering  your  letter,  but  I  have  been 
incessantly  engaged  between  a  little  shooting,  which  is  a  kind  of  duty, 
and  writing  with  my  new  secretary  Wiseman. 

"  In  the  first  place,  is  it  with  your  parent's  knowledge  you  ask  these 
questions9  I  am  resolved  that  I  will  not  even  benefit  Africa  at  their 
expense.  Supposing  them  to  approve,  I  answer  your  questions  : — 1st. 
I  do  think  you  qualified  for  serving  the  cause,  in  all  essentials,  remark- 
ably well  indeed.  In  fact,  I  think  you,  upon  the  whole,  better  qualified 
than  any  one  for  the  task.  2ndly.  If  there  should  be  an  agricultural 
society,  your  paper  on  Eastern  slave  trade  would  obtain  you  the  appoint- 
ment without  influence  from  me.  Srdly.  Judge  for  yourself  whether 
you  can  stand  the  charge  of  pocket  philanthropy.  I  care  not  a  straw  for 
the  suspicion  of  nepotism.  I  have  been  too  much  abused  in  my  day  to 
turn  aside  a  step  for  vulgar  censure.  I  will  give  you  some  strong  verses 
on  that  subject  when  I  have  time ;  they  may  be  useful  to  you.  I  am 
sure  that  I  shall  be  serving  Africa  in  getting  you  into  its  service  :  that 
is  quite  enough  for  my  satisfaction." 

It  was  at  first  hoped  that  the  Niger  expedition  might  have 
been  fitted  out  very  speedily,  but  Sir  Edward  Parry  found  that 
it  was  necessary  for  the  Government  to  have  ships  built  expressly 
for  the  purpose.  In  the  interval,  therefore,  Mr.  Buxton  had  the 
opportunity  of  following  Mrs,  Buxton  to  Rome,  whither  she  had 
gone,  accompanied  by  her  youngest  son  and  daughter,  for  the 
benefit  of  her  health.  But  it  was  necessary  for  him  before  he 
left  England  to  prepare  a  complete  edition  of  his  work  on  l  The 
Slave  Trade  and  its  Remedy  ;'  the  publication  of  which  had 
been  delayed  in  order  to  afford  the  Government  time  to  deliberate 
on  the  plan. 

TO   MRS.   BUXTOX,   AT   FLORENCE. 

"  Northrepps,  Xov.  3. 

"  I  have  been  working  hard  during  the  week,  but  yesterday  we  had 
our  hardest  day.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  minutes  in  the  garden, 
and  a  run  to  the  Cottage,  and  dinner,  I  did  not  stop  from  breakfast  till 
past  one  o'clock  at  night ;  and,  what  is  more  extraordinary,  I  had  seven 
capital  secretaries  at  work,  and  many  of  them  during  the  whole  day. 
We  got  on  famously ;  till  then  I  had  been  very  doubtful  whether  I 
should  not  be  obliged  to  stay  a  week  longer." 


384  DEPARTURE  FOR  ROME.  [CHAP.  xxvn. 


TO   MRS.   JOHNSTON. 

"  London,  Nov.  18. 

"  My  book  is  finished  ;  there  it  lies  in  a  bag  ;  a  precious  tug  it  has 
been  to  get  it  done.  I  do  not  think  I  have  worked  so  hard  since  I  left 
college  ;  day  after  day,  from  breakfast  till  two  or  three  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  with  the  interval  of  only  a  short  walk  and  meals.  I  quite 
wonder  at  my  capacity  of  exertion. 

"  The  effect  of  this  is,  that  I  believe  I  shall  not,  when  I  start  to-day, 
have  a  single  memorandum  unattended  to,  and  hardly  a  letter  un- 
written." 

This  exertion  was  of  too  severe  a  character.  He  writes  from 
Montreuil — 

"Nov.  19. 

"  Since  I  left  London  I  have  spent  four  hours  in  sailing,  some  time 
in  meals,  a  few  minutes  in  chat  and  reading,  but  my  great  business  has 
been  sleeping,  which  I  have  effected  with  laudable  energy." 


1839.]          JOURNEY  THROUGH  FRANCE  AND  ITALY.  385 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

1839,  1840. 

Journey  through  France  and  Italy  —  Mont  Cenis  in  a  Snow-storm  —  Rome 
—  Italian  Field-sports  —  Boar-hunting  —  Shooting  on  the  Numician 
Lake  —  Adventure  with  Robbers  —  The  Jesuits  —  St.  Peter's  and  the 
Vatican  —  Prisons  and  Hospitals  of  Rome. 

DURING  the  winter  which  Mr.  Buxton  spent  abroad,  he  became, 
what  he  had  never  been  before,  a  good  correspondent  on  miscel- 
laneous subjects.  We  shall  give  some  copious  extracts  from  his 
letters,  which  are  written  in  a  style  of  playfulness  very  natural  to 
him  when  relieved  from  the  pressure  of  business.  Accompanied 
by  Miss  Gurney  of  Northrepps  Cottage,  and  his  second  son,  he 
travelled  quickly  through  France,  and  crossed  over  to  Italy  by 
Mont  Cenis : — 

"  Poste  Royale,  Mont  Cenis,  Nine  o'clock,  Nov.  30,  1839. 

"  For  our  journey  from  Lyons  to  Chambery,  and  from  Chambery  to 
Lanslebourg,  I  refer  you  to  Fo well's  journal,  only  stating  that  we  were 
in  the  carriage,  and  moving,  at  a  quarter  before  four  in  the  morning,  and 
out  of  the  carriage  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night.  The  last  two  stages  were 
rather  awkward  ones  to  pass  in  the  dark,  as  we  had  a  continued  succes- 
sion of  precipices  on  one  side  of  the  road  :  on  one  occasion,  on  seeing  a 

light  straight  down,  an  immense  way  below  us,  A said,  '  There  is 

a  star,  only  in  the  wrong  direction.' 

"  At  Lanslebourg  we  heard  accounts  of  the  roads  being  very  difficult, 
but  still  passable  and  safe ;  so  we  gave  them  their  own  time  and  started 
this  morning  at  half-past  nine,  with  eight  horses  to  our  carriage,  two  to 
our  cart  carrying  our  luggage,  and  thirteen  attendants  to  bear  up  the 
carriage,  in  case  of  difficulty  from  the  snow.  Things  w  ent  smooth  enough 
till  about  one  o'clock  in  the  day,  when  we  encountered  a  '  tourmente,' 
as  they  call  it,  and,  at  the  same  moment,  several  carts  coming  from  Italy 
loaded  with  casks  of  wine.  It  was  difficult  enough  to  keep  the  carriage 
up  when  we  had  all  the  road  to  ourselves  (for  it  was  snowing  so  fast  that 
we  could  scarcely  see),  but  when,  in  addition  to  all  this,  we  had  to  break 
out  of  the  way  to  make  room  for  these  caravans,  it  was  by  no  means 

2  c 


386  MOUNT  CENIS  IN  A  SNOW-STORM.    [CHAP,  xxvin. 

agreeable.  Our  soundings  of  the  snow,  I  should  tell  you,  had  not  been 
very  flattering ;  we  had,  first,  a  foot  deep ;  after  some  time,  two  feet  and 
a  half,  four  feet,  five  feet;  and  between  five  and  six  feet  of  snow  on  the 
level  was  the  encouraging  report  just  before  we  met  the  wine-carts. 
Well,  at  this  pass,  just  upon  the  verge  of  the  top  of  the  mountain,  the 
snow  falling,  the  wind  howling,  we  had  this  encounter  with  the  cara- 
vans; and,  first,  there  was  a  war  of  words  between  the  leader  of  their 
train  and  the  Mattre  de  Poste  of  Lanslebourg,  who  had  volunteered  to 
conduct  our  expedition.  Words  ran  to  the  highest  pitch  and  the  shrillest 
tones,  and  the  most  vehement  and  menacing  action  seemed  to  threaten  a 
charge,  in  which  the  enemy  had  the  safe 'side,  and  we  the  precipice ;  but,  at 
length,  an  amicable  compact  was  made  between  the  belligerents,  by  which 
the  whole  force  of  both  parties  was  employed  in  hoisting  their  carts  fur- 
ther into  the  snow  on  their  side.  All  this,  however,  had  consumed  some 
time,  the  tornado  had  then  passed,  but  the  accumulation  of  snow  which 
it  had  occasioned  remained,  and  here  we  had  our  greatest  chance  of  an 
overturn,  but  not  over  the  precipice,  which  was  a  great  way  off  (full 
seven  feet).  Over  we  must  have  gone,  again  and  again,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  our  little  army,  half  of  whom  were  on  one  side  pulling  the  car- 
riage towards  them  ;  the  rest  on  the  other  side  holding  it  up.  Spink  * 
tells  me,  that  at  times  the  hind-wheel  was  nearly  a  foot  from  the  top  of 
the  snow. 

"  We  had  just  got  through  this  difficulty,  when  the  men  cried  out, 
'There's  a  wolf;'  and  sure  enough  there  sat  the  beast !  This  was  an 
almost  irresistible  bait  for  us  ;  my  gun  was  loaded  after  a  time  (for  we 
had  some  difficulty  in  finding  the  things),  but  then  I  recollected  that  a 
pretty  thing  it  would  be  to  leave  A  under  such  circumstances, 

and  go  a  wolf  hunting  ;  so,  with  a  sigh,  I  was  obliged  to  commit  the 
task  to  one  of  our  guides,  who  is  a  chasseur  by  profession.  He,  from 
ignorance  of  our  guns,  got  the  locks  wet  and  missed  fire,  and  away  went 
the  wolf. 

"  In  comes  the  Maitre  de  Poste,  and  tells  us  that  it  is  in  vain  to  at- 
tempt to  descend  this  night.  So  here  we  are  perched  in  a  little  bit  of 
an  inn  at  the  top  of  Mont  Cenis ;  the  night  very  quiet  but  hazy,  which 
is  a  bad  business,  for  last  night  they  killed  three  foxes,  and  we  might 
have  had  famous  sport  at  them  to-night ;  three  chasseurs  are  employed 
to  watch  them  and  give  me  notice;  but,  with  submission  to  them,  I  now 
conclude  my  letter  and  go  to  bed,  only  just  saying,  that  though  we  are 
on  the  top  of  the  Alps,  we  are  very  comfortable  and  warm,  thanks  to 
roaring  fires,  admirable  trout  from  a  tarn  which  is  close  below  us,  and 


*  Miss  Guruey's  coachman. 


1839.]  ARRIVAL  AT  ROME.  387 

double  windows.  *  *  *  I  have  just  put  my  nose  out,  and  it  is  snowing 
furiously  ;  we  have  no  great  taste  for  a  month  here  with  nothing  to  eat 
but  foxes,  but,  nevertheless,  we  are  very  cheery." 

"  Turin,  Dec.  2,  Five  o'clock. 

"  Well,  I  must  just  finish  my  letter.  We  passed  a  quiet  night,  and 
found  in  the  morning  that  a  good  deal  of  snow  had  fallen,  but  that  the 
weather  was  bright,  frosty,  and  calm  ;  the  last  being  the  question  of  im- 
portance. We  did  not  start  early,  as  our  guides  begged  permission  to 
go  to  mass  first,  from  which  they  did  not  return  till  nine  o'clock.  Then 
we  started  in  a  sledge.  We  called  at  the  monastery,  and  left  some- 
thing for  the  poor,  and  saw  the  only  remnant,  as  it  is  supposed,  of  the 
ibex,  a  race  of  goats.  The  appearance  of  the  tops  of  the  mountains, 
gloriously  gilded  by  the  sun,  was  as  beautiful  as  it  was  strange :  we  en- 
joyed it  much.  We  saw  on  the  road  several  carriages  which  had 
been  left,  and  one  which  had  been  overturned.  It  took  us  between  six 
and  seven  hours  to  sledge  down  to  Susa  ;  it  was  a  pleasant  mode  of  con- 
veyance. The  little  waterfalls, — the  water,  as  it  seemed,  turned  into 
dust,  and  glittering  in  the  sun ;  a  little  rainbow  about  six  feet  span, 
between  us  and  the  rock,  only  a  yard  distant ;  the  view  of  the  valley, 
reckoned,  and  no  doubt  justly,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  Alps ;  all  these 
united  made  our  journ«y  a  delightful  contrast  to  that  of  the  preceding 
day." 

The  party  reached  Rome  about  the  12th  December.  Mr. 
Buxton  thus  writes  on  the  17th  :  — 

"  The  weather  here  is  delightful ;  I  am  now  sitting  opposite  a  large 
window  on  the  shady  side  of  the  street,  wide  open,  and  it  is  warmer 
than  any  day  in  England  last  summer.  We  hear  grand  accounts  of  wild 
boars  and  woodcocks.  I  went  to  the  Capitol  yesterday  morning,  I  am 
old,  have  never  cultivated  the  fine  arts,  and  all  romance  has  been  thumped 
out  of  me.  One  might  as  well  expect  to  see  a  hackney  coach-horse 
frisking  about  like  a  colt  as  to  see  me  in  ecstacies  and  raptures  with 
antiquities  and  classical  recollections.  However,  I  was  greatly  taken 
with  the  view  of  the  whole  of  Rome.  There  we  saw  before  us,  gathered 
in  a  very  small  space,  the  city  so  famous  for  everything  : — at  one  time, 
the  mistress  of  the  world  in  arms ;  at  another  period,  the  ruler  of  na- 
tions by  the  fiat  of  the  Vatican  ;  and,  again,  the  great  nursery  and  school 
of  the  arts.  You  cannot  conceive  how  all  the  objects  of  interest  are 
clustered  together  close  around  you.  Right  beneath  you,  the  yellow 
Tiber ;  within  gun-shot,  as  it  appears,  the  palace  of  the  Caesars :  but  I 
will  not  go  on  describing,  or,  in  spite  of  myself,  I  shall  grow  quite  ro- 
mantic. But  one  thing  did  strike  me  more  than  all.  In  a  little  narrow 

2  c  2 


388  BULL  AGAINST  THE  SLAVE-TRADE.     [CHAP,  xxvnr. 

dark  cell,  undoubtedly  a  Roman  dungeon,  there  is  a  well-grounded 
tradition  that  St.  Paul  was  confined  immediately  prior  to  his  martyrdom. 
What  a  leaf  is  this  in  the  history  of  man !  In  that  palace  lived  the 
proud  and  cruel  Caesar,  dreaming  of  immortal  reputation.  He  is  almost 
forgotten  ;  while,'  the  prisoner,  who  lay  in  the  dungeon  loaded  with 
chains,  despised  and  detested,  is  still  remembered.  We  daily  read  his 
works,  and  ten  thousand  copies  of  the  history  of  his  life  are  published 
every  day ! 

"  To-day  I  visited  the  Coliseum,  the  Flavian  Amphitheatre.  It  won- 
derfully revives  and  brings  to  life  their  ancient  spectacles, — it  is  im- 
mense ;  one  can  quite  understand  that  a  hundred  thousand  people  could 
have  a  perfect  view  of  the  whole  spectacle.  The  building  in  its  sub- 
stantial parts  is  perfect.  What  an  enlightened  people  to  be  capable  of 
erecting  such  an  edifice ;  and  what  a  set  of  ruthless  savages  to  take  de- 
light in  seeing  poor  captives  there  slaughtering  each  other,  or  torn  to 
pieces  by  wild  beasts  !  I  have  been  interested  beyond  what  I  could 
have  conceived  possible  by  these  two  spectacles,  and  quite  vexed  that  I 
bring  with  me  so  slender  a  stock  of  classical  lore. 

"  But  now  for  business.  I  was  more  gratified  than  you  could  guess 
at  hearing  of  your  Spitalfields'  school ;  that  is  better  than  Laocoons  and 
Ampitheatres.  I  will  subscribe  what  you  ask  with  pleasure,  and  ten 
times  more  when  you  tell  me  it  is  wanted.  » 

"An  officer  of  justice  called  here  this  morning  with  a  huge  paper  in 
columns,  in  which  1  was  to  describe  myself  in  all  possible  ways,  and 
concluding  with  the  question,  Why  did  I  come  to  Rome?  I  desired 
Richards  to  insert,  under  this  head,  this — 

'  If  the  truth  I  must  tell,  I  came  here  in  the  hope 
Of  .curing  my  wife  and  converting  the  Pope.' 

Rut  I  find  that  the  Pope  wants  no  conversion :  he  has  issued  a  few 
days  ago  a  capital  bull,  hurling  the  Vatican  thunders  in  excellent 
style  on  the  heads  of  all  dealers  in  human  flesh.  The  Portuguese 
minister  here  is  in  a  fine  fury,  but  the  Pope,  having  got  into  the  scrape, 
excuses  himself  from  the  charge  of  being  actuated  by  the  English, 
by  employing  the  Propaganda  Society  to  send  his  bull  to  all  the 
bishops  and  ecclesiastical  authorities  in  Cuba,  Brazil,  &c.  I  am 
mightily  pleased  with  this  affair.  Pray  tell  it  to  the  Committee  when 
they  meet. 

"  Pleased  as  I  am  with  the  conduct  of  his  Holiness,  I  am  still  more 
pleased  that  the  steamers  are  ordered,  and  to  be  built,  too,  under  the  di- 
rection of  Sir  Edward  Parry  ;  this  is  working  to  some  purpose.  Dearest 

. 's  letter  describing  the  Sunday  at  their  new  home  was  cheering 

and  charming  ;  my  love  to  her  arid  to  all  who  formed  that  sunshiny  pic- 


18.39.]  WILD-BOAR  HUNTING.  389 

ture.     I  have  thought  more  than  once,  more  than  twenty  times,  that 
'  Godliness  with  contentment  is  great  gain.'  " 

"  Rome,  44,  Via  dei  Condotti,  Dec.  24. 

"  The  time  for  wild  boars  is  not  fully  arrived,  thougli  there  were  five 
in  the  market  this  morning.     You  must  know  that  my  chief  duty  here 
is  to  escort  young  ladies  to  parties,  as   my  wife  cannot  go ;  so  I  have 
become  more  fashionable  and  dandy-like  than  I  have  been  for  the  last 
forty  years.     On  Thursday  last,  in  the  performance  of  this  duty,  I  met 
Mr.  Wyvill,  an  old  M.P.  friend,  who  told  me  he  was  going  to  hunt  the 
boar,  and  invited  me  to  join  them,  which  of  course  I  did.     Conceive  us, 
then,  starting  before  daylight,  Fowell  and  I  inside,  and  Spink  on  the 
box,  with  three  other  carriages  full,  distance  about  thirty  miles,  a  road 
good  for  the  first  ten,  for  the  next  twenty  super-execrable  ;  with  blocks 
of  granite  placed  on  it  by  the  Romans,  and  never  mended  since  the  days 
of  Julius  Caesar.     The  journey  would  have  shattered  our  own  carriage 
to  pieces,  killed  our  horses,  and  broken  the  heart  of  the  coachman. 
However,  we  all  arrived  about  sunset ;  we  brought  a  sumptuous  entertain- 
ment with  us,  and  were  lodged  in  the  house  of  a  priest,  which  was  clean 
and  comfortable.     On  our  road  we  passed  the  beautiful  lake  and  castle 
of  Bracciano,  which  now  belongs  to  Torlonia,  the  great  Jewish  banker 
at  Rome.      At  five  next  morning  we   breakfasted,   and   immediately 
mounted  a  herd  of  various  quadrupeds.     Mine  was  a  most  raw-boned, 
lazy,  stumbling  horse,  and  my  right  hand  suffered  much  by  the  effort  to 
get  him  along  ;  but  after  a  while,  seeing  that  Spink  had  a  sprightly  jackass, 
I  changed  with  him  and  got  on  gloriously.     Seven  miles  of  rock  and 
quagmire,  and  stumps  of  trees,  brought  us  to  our  hunting-ground,  where 
we  saw  congregated  our  native  '  Compagnons  de  chasse.'     The  leader 
was  Velati,  the  Roman  painter,  and  a  fine  fellow.     He  put  us  in  our 
places,  after  first  marching  us  over  a  fine  wooded  mountain.     This  made 
me  reeking  hot :  but  I  was  soon  well  cooled,  for  I  was  located  in  a  dank 
sunless  valley,  the  steam  from  which  soon  rusted  my  barrels,  and  made 
Spink's  hands  die  away.     There  I  stood  for  an  hour  and  a  half  with 
my  rifle  in  my   hand.     Spink  said   to  me,  '  They  tell  me  these  beasts 
fly  out  upon  you,'  and  forthwith  he  produced  a  case  of  pistols,  but  he 
had  no  opportunity  this  time  of  using  them.     By  sound  of  bugle  we 
were  ordered  over  the  next  hill,  and  such  a  scene  opened  upon  us !    I  never 
saw  such  a  combination  of  the   sublime  and  the  lovely.      Our  next 
station  was  on  a  jutting  rock  high  up  the  mountain,  the  sun  in  full 
power,  and  as  hot  as  with  us  in  July ;  a  valley  below  us,  a  high  hill 
(the  Monte   Sacro)  opposite;   we   ourselves   surrounded  with  myrtle, 
wild   lavender,  and  arbutus  loaded  with  fruit ;  and  all  below  and  op- 
posite, the  same  splendid  foliage.     In  the  distance,  Soracte,  as  Horace 
says — 


390  SHOOTING  IN  THE  NUMICIAN  LAKE.    [CHAP.  XXTITI. 

'  Vides  ut  alt!  stet  nive  candidum, 
Soracte,' 

and  to  the  right  the  blue  Mediterranean. 

"  The  assemblage  of  the  boar-hunt  at  luncheon  was  most  curious ; 
forty  dogs  of  every  degree,  from  the  turnspit  to  the  wolf-hound,  upwards 
of  seventy  native  chasseurs  with  guns  in  their  hands,  clad  in  skins, — 
and  fame  is  a  lying  vixen  if  they  do  not  at  odd  times  do  a  little  in  the 
bandit  line  ;  but  here  we  were  upon  honour.  Two  foxes,  two  deer, 
and  six  boars  were  the  product  of  the  excursion.  I  have  wild  boar 
enough  to  stock  a  butcher's  shop  ;  one  of  the  boars  was  the  biggest  that 
has  been  killed  for  eight  years,  weighing  400lbs.  I  have  the  tusks 
of  the  second,  which  are  awkward  weapons.  You  will  want  to  know 
what  F.  and  I  did  ;  but  I  am  as  modest  in  relation  as  valiant  in  deeds 
of  arms,  and  so  I  only  say  that  each  of  us  did  as  much  as  any  gen- 
tleman of  the  party.  We  started  for  home  by  moonlight,  my  donkey 
had  been  usurped,  and  I  bestrode  another  of  no  generous  breed  ; 
go  he  would  not,  and  we  were  left  hehind.  Again  I  changed  with 
Spink,  to  whom  Fortune  had  given  a  capital  horse,  and  I  soon  joined 
and  headed  our  party.  Well  was  it  we  regained  the  party,  or  we  should 
assuredly  have  slept  in  the  open  field  or  in  the  cave  of  a  bandit ;  for  after 
a  time  I  was  seized  with  a  furious  cramp,  and  had  to  be  hauled  oft'  my 
horse,  and  this  delayed  us  half  an  hour." 

"  Dec.  25. 

"  Last  night  I  finished  the  history  of  our  excursion  against  the  boars 
on  Monte  Sacro.  I  am  now  going  to  tell  you  of  another  district  famous 
in  classic  lore.  On  Monday,  Prince  Borghese  Aldobrandini,  the  Duke 
Roviero,  Aubin,  Richards,  Charles  and  I,  two  dogs  and  a  chasseur, 
started  precisely  at  4  A.M.  for  Ostia,  the  very  spot  where  ^Eneas  pitched 
his  camp,  so  if  you  wish  to  have  a  description  of  it  you  may  turn  to 
Virgil.  We  travelled  about  fifteen  miles  along  a  very  decent  road,  the 
Tiber  almost  always  close  beside  us.  At  length  we  came  to  a  lake, 
'  fontis  vada  sacra  Numici,'  on  which,  excepting  Richards,  we  all  em- 
barked, each  having  a  boat,  and  started  in  exact  line  up  the  lake,  which 
was  covered  with  wild  fowl.  I  think  we  must  have  seen  at  one  time  at 
least  a  thousand  upon  the  wing  together.  We  had  to  sit  in  the  boats 
and  fire  as  they  came  by.  The  two  boats  that  went  near  the  reeds  had 
plenty  of  sport,  but  as  I  was  in  the  middle,  and  had  but  one  gun,  I  did 
not  get  many  shots,  and  the  position  being  awkward,  and  the  distances 
very  long,  I  was  not  exceedingly  destructive.  We  got,  however, 
upwards  of  seventy  head,  and  it  was  something  to  be  shooting  wild  fowl 
within  sight  of  the  grove  of  pines  recorded  by  Virgil,  and  on  the  very 
spot  where  Nisus  and  Euryalus  perished.  1'ray  rrad  the  story  in 
Virgil,  Book  IX.,  and  in  Dry  den,  for  the  benefit  of  the  ladies.  The 


1839.]  ST.  PETER'S.  391 

most  curious  part  of  the  affair  was  the  test  it  afforded  of  the  climate. 
On  the  23rd  of  December  I  started  on  the  lake  in  a  wet  boat,  before 
sunrise,  without  anything  on  but  my  September  shooting  clothes,  and 
there  I  sat  till  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  without  moving,  no  glove  on 
my  right  hand,  and  my  feet  in  damp  hay  ;  a  heavy  fog  prevailed  during 
part  of  the  morning,  and  we  were  often  enveloped  in  thick  reeds ;  but 
during  the  whole  time  I  had  not  a  sensation  of  cold,  and  only  suffered 
from  the  bite  of  musquitoes. 

"  But  now  I  must  turn  to  Richards,  who  went  to  explore  the  ruins  of 
Ostia.  A  discovery  had  lately  been  made  there  of  a  burial-place  on  the 
Insula  Sacra  on  the  Tiber.  As  yet  little  has  been  done  towards 
robbing  the  tombs,  so  that  he  found  a  variety  of  interesting  antiques, 
sarcophagi,  urns,  inscriptions,  &c.  He  brought  us  a  perfect  specimen 
of  a  lamp,  and  we  are  resolved  to  go,  en  masse,  and  lay  our  sacrilegious 
hands  upon  some  of  these  treasures,  and  astonish  the  Antiquarian 
Society  by  the  extent  and  novelty  of  our  discoveries.  To-day  I  have 
been,  for  the  first  time,  at  St.  Peter's,  and  seen  high  mass  performed  by 
the  Pope  himself.  But,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  and  my  scribe  are  very 
sleepy ;  therefore,  instead  of  attempting  to  give  you  a  notion  of  the 
wonderful  grandeur  of  the  building,  or  the  splendour  of  the  ceremonies, 
I  shall  confine  myself  to  saying  that,  as  a  show,  it  was  pre-eminently 
grand ;  as  a  service,  there  was 

'  Devotion's  every  grace,  except  the  heart.' 

For  ornament,  for  the  display  of  wealth,  for  music,  for,  in  short,  a  scene, 
fifty  to  one  on  St.  Peter's  Cathedral  against  the  Friends'  Meeting  at 
Plaistow  ;  for  religion,  for  worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  fifty  to  one  on 
Plaistow  Meeting  against  St.  Peter's  and  all  its  glories ! " 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  on  quitting  England  Mr.  Buxton 
had  completed  his  work  on  the  Slave  Trade,  and  had  left  it  to 
be  printed.  When,  however,  proof  copy  was  prepared,  it  was 
found  by  those  who  were  superintending  the  publication  that 
very  considerable  alterations  in  the  arrangement  were  expedient. 
On  this  being  communicated  to  him  he  replies : — 

"  Dec.  26,  1839. 

"  I  wrote  last  night  a  ranting  letter  about  wild  boars  and  Nisus  and 
Euryalus,  as  if  these  were  the  only  things  deserving  attention  ;  but  your 
letter  of  Dec..  11,  received  to-day,  has  brought  me  to  my  senses,  and  I 
am  as  much  in  the  book  as  the  day  I  left  Northrepps.  *  *  * 

*'  In  truth  I  give  you  at  once  the  warmest  thanks,  and  the  most 
hearty  approval  of  these  very  untoward  suggestions.  In  fact,  the  more 
I  have  thought  of  it  the  more  I  have  assented,  nay,  have  thought  it  in- 


THE  VATICAN.  [CHAP.  xxvm. 


dispensable,  and  loath  the  higgledy-piggledy  fashion  in  which  I  had 
tossed  my  points  together.  *  *  *  Idleness  would  have  said,  sit  still  ; 
nervousness  the  same  ;  you  might  naturally  have  felt,  '  I  know  you  to 
be  a  hard  man,  apt  to  be  indignant  at  those  who  offer  advice,  take  that 
is  thine  own,  and  a  pretty  hash  it  will  be ! '  ' 

TO  E.  N.  BUXTON,  ESQ. 

"  Rome,  Jan.  1,  1840. 

"  *  *  *  The  tramontane,  or  northern  wind,  has  come  down  upon 
us  and  has  cooled  us;  nevertheless,  we  spent  three  hours  yesterday 
most  pleasantly  in  walking  together  about  the  grounds  of  the  Villa 
Albani ;  as  many  the  day  before  on  the  Palatine  Hill.  It  is  wonderful 
what  a  deal  there  is  to  see  in  this  city.  *  *  *  But  in  all  their  finery 
there  is  dirt,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  midst  of  their  dirt  there  is 
some  remnant  of  magnificence.  You  will  see  a  palace  and  a  pigstye 
close  together  ;  and,  moreover,  the  pigstye  will  have  a  small  touch  of 
the  palace,  and  the  palace  a  large  touch  of  the  pigstye.  Nothing,  how- 
ever, can  exceed  the  beauty  and  luxuriance  of  the  villas  round  about 
Rome.  I  only  wish  you  had  seen  the  deep  blue  sky  over  the  Albani 
villa ;  the  residences  of  Cicero  and  Horace  before  us  ;  the  hil's,  some 
of  them  covered  with  snow;  and  a  profusion  of  roses  and  oranges 
growing  in  the  gardens  around. 

"  I  yesterday  went  with  a  large  party,  for  the  first  time,  to  the 
Vatican.  I  have,  as  you  are  aware,  no  knowledge  of  paintings  or 
statues,  no  cultivated  taste,  no  classical  recollections  ;  and  it  is  well  for 
me  I  have  not.  That  place  would  have  set  me  raving ;  it  almost  did  as 
it  was.  You  may  walk  there  all  day  long,  and  at  a  good  pace  too ;  and 
at  either  side  of  you  there  is  something  which  strikes  the  meanest  capa- 
city with  admiration  and  reverence.  There  were  two  or  three  rooms 
full  of  birds  and  beasts  in  marble,  to  the  very  life :  and  then  there  was 
the  Apoilo  ;  why,  man,  it  is  beautiful  past  description.  It  rivets  your 
eyes.  What  a  most  wonderful  people  those  Romans  were,  to  have 
congregated  together  such  a  profusion  of  excellence!  Well,  if  these 
sights  produce  such  an  effect  upon  me,  old,  obtuse,  and  unromantic  as  I 
am,  woe  betide  those  who  come  in  their  youth,  and  are  lovers  of  the 
arts.  It  is  enough  to  make  them  all  daft.  I  am  going  to-morrow  to 
wash  off  the  effects  of  the  Vatican  by  some  snipe-shooting  in  the  Pontine 
Marshes." 

TO  JOSEPH  J.  GURXEY,  ESQ. 

"  Jan.  6. 

"  How  passing  strange  it  is,  that  I  should  write  from  Romo.  ad- 
dressing you  in  Barbadoes.  I  wish  we  could  change  places  for  a  few 


1840.]  SHOOTING  ON  THE  PONTINE  MARSHES.  393 

days.  Neither  St.  Peter's,  nor  the  Capitol,  nor  the  dying  gladiator,  nor 
Apollo  himself,  all  beautiful  as  he  is,  are  so  interesting  to  me  as  would 
be  the  sight  of  the  negroes  working  for  their  own  benefit,  and  shel- 
tered by  law  from  the  lash  of  the  cart-whip.  It  is  a  sight  I  pant  to 
behold. 

"And  now  as  to  my  worthy  self.  I  have  enjoyed  both  the  country 
and  the  wonderful  works  of  art  in  Rome  more  than  I  had  any  notion 
that  I  could.  1  sometimes  laugh  at  my  own  romancings,  and  wonder 
that  such  an  old,  untaught  man  should  give  way  to  such  true  pleasure  in 
matters  which  he  does  not  understand.  Rome  is,  in  truth,  a  wonderful 
place.  There  is  hardly  any  thing  more  remarkable  than  the  profusion 
of  its  treasures.  What  Rome  must  have  been  in  its  glory,  when  the 
relics  are  so  surprising  !  *  * 

"  Everything  bespeaks  wonderful  intellect  on  the  part  of  the 
Romans  ;  but  then  the  base,  cruel,  cowardly  ruffians  !  Fancy  the  whole 
population  pouring  into  the  Coliseum,  to  see  the  poor  captives  hew  one 
another  to  pieces,  and  finding  infinite  delight  and  merriment  in  such  a 
holiday ! " 

TO  EDWARD  N.  BUXTON,  ESQ. 

"Jan.  21. 

"  I  picture  to  myself  your  arriving  at  Northrepps  on  Monday,  January 
13th,  and  you  and  your  party  hugely  enjoying  yourselves  during  the 
week ;  and  I  fancy  I  know  precisely  where  you  shot  each  day,  if  not 
the  exact  number  of  the  slain.  I  thought  you  had  an  especial  nice 
party;  but  why  did  Gurney  Hoare  absent  himself?  I  suppose  that 
Edmund  was  at  the  top  of  the  tree.  I  hope  you  took  decent  care  of 
yourselves,  age  and  wisdom  being  absent,  I  at  Rome,  and  Sam  Hoare  at 
Lombard  Street.  You  may  well  suppose  that  I  was  un  peufdche  to  be 
absent,  the  first  time  for  more  than  twenty  years,  from  my  humble  task 
of  attending  to  the  wants  and  promoting  the  sport  of  a  rabble  of  boys. 
I  was  resolved,  however,  to  console  myself  as  best  I  might,  and  I  accom- 
plished this  so  effectually  that  I  am  ready  to  back  the  Pontine  Marshes 
against  all  Norfolk.  On  Monday  most  of  our  party  embarked,  with 
three  dogs,  on  board  a  huge  monster  of  a  vehicle,  and  rumbled  along  to 
Albano.  The  next  morning  our  friend  Cresswell,  myself,  the  cacciatore, 
and  our  Italian  servant  Pittini,  with  three  Italian  pointers  and  little 
Juno,  pursued  our  voyage,  leaving  the  boys  and  girls  behind,  and  reached 
Cisterna  at*  ten,  where  we  had  fair  accommodation,  and  made  friends 
with  another  shooting-party,  who  breakfasted  and  dined  with  us.  We 
shot  in  the  woods,  an  immense  tract  of  which  extends  on  each  side  of 
the  road. 

"  The  next  day  we  did  very  little,  our  bag  being  only  eighteen 


394        SHOOTING  ON  THE  PONTINE  MARSHES.    [CHAP.  XXYIII. 

woodcocks ;  but  oh !  such  a  mishap.  While  Cresswell  and  the  cac- 
ciatore  were  diving  through  a  thick  fen  in  the  wood,  up  sprung  three  wild 
boars  within  ten  yards  of  them,  two  young  ones  and  one  bigger  than  a 
donkey  !  Cresswell  thought  them  tame  ones,  and  did  not  fire,  though 
he  had  a  clear  and  beautiful  shot.  The  cacciatore  gave  them  his  two 
barrels  in  vain,  and  roared  out  to  me  ;  but  before  I  could  get  a  ball  into 
my  gun,  one  of  the  younger  ones  passed  before  me  at  about  fifty  yards. 
But  what  was  the  use  of  a  charge  of  No.  6  at  that  distance  ?  however,  I 
had  a  perfect  view  of  the  fellow,  as  pure  a  wild  boar  as  ever  was  littered, 
about  the  size  'of  one  of  the  pigs  at  Cross's. 

"  On  Thursday  morning  we  passed  early  through  Tre  Ponti,  the 
'  Three  Taverns  '  of  Scripture,  and  thence  went  on,  five  miles  further, 
to  Appii  Forum,  so  called  now,  and  so  called  in  the  days  of  St.  Paul. 
I  read  St.  Paul's  account  of  his  journey  :  and  on  the  road  he  traversed, 
and  in  view  of  the  very  same  hills  which  he  saw  (and  most  remarkable 
hills  they  are),  I  pictured  to  myself  his  friends  approaching,  '  whom 
when  Paul  saw,  he  thanked  God  and  took  courage.' 

"  We  had  a  letter  from  the  Duke  of  Braschi,  the  owner  of  twenty 
miles  square  hereabouts,  to  his  steward,  who  resides  in  an  immense  old 
building,  once  the  palace  of  the  Braschi,  and  at  an  earlier  period  a  great 
monastery.  The  steward  was  absent,  and,  alas !  the  key  of  the  cellar 
was  in  his  pocket;  the  servants,  however,  received  us  with  all  civility. 
Our  first  inquiry  was  about  beds.  To  look  at,  they  were  very 
well.  '  Have  they  been  slept  in?'  I  inquired.  '  Oh!  yes.'  '  Who 
slept  last  in  my  bed  ? '  '  The  Duke  of  Braschi  himself.'  At  night, 
when  I  was  going  to  bed,  I  asked  another  little  question,  which  wholly 
altered  the  view  of  things,  and  would  have  sent  us  back  to  Cisterna  that 
night  if  we  had  possessed  any  mode  of  conveyance  ;  but,  as  it  was,  we 
were  in  for  it.  The  unlucky  question  was,  '  When  was  the  Duke  last 
here  ?  '  '  Ten  years  ago  was  his  last  visit.'  So  my  bed,  it  was  quite 
clear,  had  not  been  slept  in  for  ten  years !  The  house  was  haunted  to 
the  last  degree :  it  was  quite  a  preserve  of  ghosts.  But  there  were  more 
rats  than  ghosts,  more  fleas  than  rats,  more  musquitoes  than  fleas,  and 
more  musical  frogs  than  any  of  them.  Oh !  such  a  concert,  such  an 
orchestra  of  bull-frogs,  such  a  band  of  musquitoes,  and  such  a  rattling  of 
ghosts  (for  assuredly  they  were  ghosts  if  they  were  not  rats),  all  com- 
bined together,  formed,  if  not  as  harmonious,  at  least  as  remarkable  a 
chorus 'as  ever  delighted  mortal  ears.  In  the  morning  I  saw  poor 
Cresswell ;  in  addition  to  my  musicians  he  had  had  four  indefatigable 
cats,  who  during  the  live-long  night  had  serenaded  him  for  admission 
into  his  room,  where  our  game  was  lodged,  and  over  his  window  \vas  a 
dovecote,  into  which  the  rats  were  continually  making  commandos ;  in 
short,  he  had  enjoyed  such  a  concord  of  '  sweet  sounds '  as  confi-rrod 


1840.]  SHOOTING  ON  THE  PONTINE  MARSHES.  395 

upon  him  what  Milton  calls  '  a  sober  certainty  of  waking  bliss.'  '  I 
have  not,'  he  exclaimed,  '  slept  a  single  wink  all  night.'  '  How  clas- 
sical ! '  said  I :  '  you  and  Horace  attempt  to  sleep  on  precisely  the  same 
spot,  and,  for  aught  I  know,  in  the  same  bed,  and  he  tells  us, — 

'  Mali  culices  ranaeque  palustres 
Avertunt  somnos.' 

"  We  rode  three  miles  along  the  canal  which  carried  Horace,  then 
entered  a  deep  marsh  with  gigantic  reeds.  There  were  more  snipes 
there  than  you  ever  saw,  or  ever  will  see,  unless  you  come  to  Rome, 
and  yet  the  people  complained  that  they  were  very  scarce.  I  believe 
it,  for  our  sporting  friends  at  Cisterna  declared  that  the  day  before 
they  had  put  up  ten  thousand;  but  they  had  only  bagged  ten.  The 
snipes  were  terribly  wild  ;  and  no  wonder ;  for  what  between  the 
peasants  who  are  always  at  them,  and  the  Romans  who  dedicate  their 
Sabbaths  to  them,  they  are  shot  at  every  clay  in  the  week,  and  twice  on 
a  Sunday.  We  managed,  however,  to  bring  home  twenty  couple,  a 
rail,  a  quail,  a  hare,  and  three  ducks.  But  the  next  day  was  the  grand 
one.  We  went  two  miles  further,  arid  then  entered  a  noble  wood.  It 
was  almost  impenetrably  thick.  We  had  a  good  stout  fellow  of  a 
cacciatore,  whom  we  brought  from  Rome.  He  wore  a  breeches-plate 
made  of  the  skin  of  a  wolf,  which  even  the  Roman  thorns  could  not 
penetrate ;  he  is  a  hunter  of  renown  here,  and  his  name  is  '  Gabbiate,' 
which,  literally  translated,  means  '  the  uncombed.'  I  fought?  I  confess, 
rather  shy  of  the  bushes,  and  so  did  Juno,  and  so  did  two  of  our 
pointers,  so  also  one  of  our  two  remaining  beaters.  In  about  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  this  fellow  emerged  from  the  wood,  and  planted  himself  by 
my  side  ;  but,  as  I  was  sneaking  myself,  I  was  up  to  his  (ricks,  and  by 
signs,  sufficiently  significant,  sent  him  back  into  the  brambles.  Of  him 
we  saw  and  heard  no  more  till  luncheon-time,' when  he  re-appeared 
with  a  pipe  in  his  mouth ;  and  for  the  remainder  of  the  day,  while  we 
shot,  he  smoked.  The  woodcocks  flew  about  in  every  direction.  If 
we  had  had  Larry,  and  our  crew  of  men,  and  every  dog  in  North 
Erpingham,  we  might  have  done  some  work.  But  this  was  not  the 
worst;  we  could  not  speak  Italian,  and  our  attendants  could  not  under- 
stand a  word  of  English  ;  and  so,  after  a  very  superficial  beating  of 
this  superb  part  of  the  wood,  they  marched  us  off,  in  spite  of  our  un- 
intelligible remonstrances,  to  another  part,  where  we  got  but  one  wood- 
cock and  a  few  snipes,  and  our  day  was  spoiled  for  want  of  being  able 
to  utter  a  sentence  : — another  illustration,  added  to  a  thousand  before, 
of  the  evil  of  not  speaking  modern  languages.  However,  this  day 
yielded  twenty-one  woodcocks  and  nine  snipes.  Upon  the  whole  you 
may  well  suppose  that  I  enjoyed  myself  greatly ;  but  you  will  hardly 


396  ADVENTURE  WITH  ROBBERS.        [CHAP.  xxvm. 

guess  what  it  was  that  pleased  me  most, — it  was  the  splendid  day,  and 
noble  mountains,  and  dark  forests,  and  glittering  villages,  and  various 
lights,  that  were,  beyond  snipes  and  woodcocks,  the  great  attractions 
to  me." 

"  Feb.  3. 

"  Now  prepare  your  mind  for  an  adventure  which  occurred  to  us  in 
our  shooting  excursion  on  Saturday,  into  which  good  live  banditti  are 
introduced,  and  blows  struck,  and  all  the  charming  accompaniments  of 
daggers  and  pistols.  You  will  be  dying,  I  am  sure,  to  hear  the  story, 
and  to  learn  the  return  of  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.  But  suspend 
your  curiosity,  be  content  with  knowing,  for  the  present,  that  our 
adventure  is  to-day  the  talk  of  all  Rome,  and  that  troops  are  sent  off  to 
the  marshes  to  shoot,  not  snipes,  but  robbers  ;  at  least  I  suppose  so. 
But  to  business  first,  if  you  please. 

*  *  *  * 

"Well,  now,  sleepy  as  I  am,  I  will  tell  you  our  story: — On 
Saturday  morning,  Aubin,  I,  and  Spink,  in  the  inside,  our  cacciatore 
and  the  coachman  on  the  box,  with  our  three  dogs,  started  to  Macarese 
after  the  snipes.  You  may  remember  that  I  told  you  in  a  former  letter 
the  distance  of  this  marsh,  also  that  we  saw  in  the  road  the  blood  of  a 
man  who  had  been  murdered  the  preceding  night,  and  a  little  cross 
stuck  into  the  hedge  to  commemorate  the  event.  About  half  a  mile 
further  on,  turning  into  a  gate,  we  observed  another  cross,  intimating 
that  another  murder  had  been  committed  since  our  last  visit ;  and  I 
hear  there  is  no  part  of  the  country  where  you  will  find  a  more  choice 
collection  of  robbers  and  assassins  than  this  same  Macarese.  I  took 
Spink  merely  to  attend  me  ;  but  he  had  the  wit  to  borrow  a  little 
single-barrelled  gun,  and,  as  I  saw  he  was  bent  upon  signalising  himself, 
I  had  not  the  heart  to  baulk  him.  Alas !  the  waters  were  down  and 
the  snipes  were  up,  and,  though  we  shot  capitally,  we  only  managed  to 
get  eleven  couple.  We  might  have  brought  home  a  rare  stock  of 
vipers  if  we  had  wished  it,  for  we  saw  about  a  dozen  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  When  we  were  going  to  have  luncheon  I  selected  my  spot,  but 
little  Juno  made  such  a  fuss  that  we  looked  into  it,  and  saw  a  viper 
nearly  two  feet  long.  We  removed,  and  out  of  the  bush  at  our  i'eet 
went  another  great  banging  fellow. 

"  We  lunched,  however,  and  went  again  at  the  snipes.  At  length 
we  started  towards  home;  but  an  unlucky  jack  snipe  seduced  Spink 
some  way  back  again.  He  went  after  it  anil  killed  it.  No  sooner  was 
his  gun  off,  than  from  a  broad,  almost  impenetrable  hedge,  which 
crosses  the  swamp,  out  rushed  two  fellows  ;  the  first  who  arrived 
snatched  his  gun,  the  other  seized  his  collar,  gave  him  a  hard  kick  on 
his  leg,  and  drew  a  long  knife  out  of  his  side-pocket.  Could  any 


1840.]  ADVENTURE  WITH  ROBBERS.  397 

situation  be  more  forlorn  ?  we  out  of  hearing,  his  gun  discharged,  his 
knees  knocking  together  through  terror,  his  head  turning  round  and 
round,  his  lu-art  in  his  mouth.  I  use  his  own  expressions,  and  never 
did  I  hear  so  vivid  a  description  as  he  gave  of  the  scene, — for  he  lives 
to  tell  it.  What  did  he  do  in  such  adversity?  Why,  exactly  the 
right  thing  :  he  let  go  his  gun,  put  his  two  hands  into  his  waistcoat 
pockets,  and  produced  a  pair  of  pocket  pistols,  loaded,  capped,  and 
cocked,  and  presented  one  at  the  breast  of  each  robber!  The  state  of 
affairs  was  suddenly  changed.  The  heroes,  who  a  moment  before 
jabbered  so  loud  and  kicked  so  hard,  turned  tail,  dropped  the  gun,  and 
dashed  into  the  hedge,  and  Spink  remained  master  ot  the  field  of  battle. 
But  he  did  not  keep  it  long.  '  I  seized  the  gun,'  said  he ;  'I  did  not 
know  where  I  was,  nor  anything  about  it ;  I  ran  through  a  pool  up  to 
my  waist,  and  never  stopped  till  I  fell  from  fright  and  want  of  breath  ; 
then  I  loaded  and  fired  my  gun  as  a  signal  of  distress.'  Now  I  must 
tell  you  that  we  had  waited  nearly  half  an  hour  for  him,  somewhat  dis- 
concerted at  being  detained  ;  and  thought  it  very  cool  of  him  to  be 
following  his  sport  while  we  were  kicking  our  heels.  This  gave 
occasion  to  the  cacciatore  to  exercise  the  wit  for  which  he  is  famed. 
4  Why  the  man  must  have  got  a  charm,  he  has  had  more  shots  than  all 
of  us  put  together  ;  he  must  hereafter  be  called  The  Fortunate  Youth.' 
Little  did  we  dream  that  the  poor  fellow  was  then  in  the  extremity  of 
distress,  hardly  able  to  move,  and  not  knowing  whether  his  road  lay  to 
the  right  or  to  the  left.  But  upon  hearing  another  gun  fired  by  him,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  he  might  be  making  signals,  so,  having  fired  our 
guns,  which  singularly  enough  he  never  heard  (probably  he  was  lying 
down  in  a  kind  of  swoon  from  over  exertion),  I  began  to  halloo  as  loud 
as  ever  I  could,  and  at  length  he  heard  me,  and  was  cheered  by  the 
sound  of  my  voice,  and  came  running  after  us. 

"  When  he  arrived  near  me  I  was  beginning  an  oration  to  apprise 
him  how  we  had  been  all  kept  waiting ;  when,  on  looking  into  his  face, 
I  saw  him  pale  as  ashes,  and  looking  most  strange  and  bewildered.  I 
immediately  gave  him  some  brandy,  told  him  to  compose  himself,  and 
at  length  we  heard  the  history  of  his  adventures. 

"  His  extreme  satisfaction  that  he  had  not  shot  the  two  men,  which 
if  they  had  persisted  a  moment  longer  he  certainly  would  have  done  ; 
his  most  natural  and  graphic  description  of  his  exquisite  terror  ;  his 
conviction  that  neither  he  nor  his  mistress  would  ever  have  been  happy 
again  if  the  blood  of  these  men  had  been  upon  his  hands  ;  his  deep 
detestation  of  snipe-shooting,  marshes,  Rome,  and  Romans  ;  his  solemn 
resolution  never  to  quit  my  side  if  he  had  the  misfortune  again  to  go  a 
shooting  ;  his  vivid  apprehensions,  and  most  anxious  inquiries  whether 
we  thought  there  was  a  chance  of  our  getting  back  again  to  Rome  with- 


398  PROPAGANDA  MISSIONS.  [CHAP.  xxvu. 

out  encountering  a  fresh  gang   of  banditti — these    beguiled  our  way 
home. 

"  Everybody  approves  the  course  he  took  ;  and  it  seems  likely  to  be 
the  fashion  for  every  one,  in  imitation  of  hhn,  to  carry  pistols  in  their 
waistcoat  pockets  when  they  go  out  shooting.  I  ought  to  have  told 
you  that,  probably,  these  fellows  had  been  watching  us  all  day.  I  saw 
one  creeping  along  on  the  other  side  of  the  hedge  some  time  before, 
and,  if  I  could  have  spoken  Italian,  should  have  tempted  him  to  assume 
the  place  of  my  attendant  which  Spink  had  relinquished.  Well,  there 
ends  my  story.  I  wish  you  could  have  heard  him  tell  what  he  felt 
when  these  hideous  fellows  rushed  out,  and  when  the  knife  met  his 
eyes.  It  was,  as  he  told  the  story,  not  only  very  tragical,  but  irre- 
sistibly comical.  To  do  him  justice,  however,  I  am  right  glad  that  the 
accident  befel  him  and  not  me.  I  am  afraid,  if  I  had  had  a  pair  of 
pistols  in  my  hand,  under  such  circumstances,  in  such  a  fright,  I  should 
have  had  to  bear  upon  my  nerves  a  sense  of  two  human  beings  plunged 
into  a  most  awful  eternity.  But,  good  night.  Rome  is  affluent  in 
robbers,  we  hear  of  a  robbery  or  murder  every  day,  and  a  gang  has 
taken  post  they  say  in  a  wood  twelve  miles  off."  * 

TO  SAMUEL  HOAEE,  ESQ. 

"  Jan.  28. 

"  Of  one  thing  assure  yourself,  my  visit  to  Rome  has  not  tended  to 
make  me  a  Roman  Catholic.  This  cily  has  as  many  fountains  and  as 
much  dirt,  as  many  priests  and  as  much  wickedness,  as  any  in  the 
world.  Not,  however,  but  that  there  is  a  great  deal  to  admire  here. 
The  spirit  and  stimulus  with  which  they  urge  forward  their  religion  is 
well  worthy  the  imitation  of  Protestants.  I  was  yesterday  with  Father 
Glover,  one  of  five  who  rule  the  Jesuits,  and  he  told  me  that  their 
Propaganda  Society  for  Missions  gets  40,000/.  a-year. 

"  Their  mode  of  proceeding  is  this  :  one  man  engages  to  collect  the 
subscription,  amounting  to  a  halfpenny  per  week,  from  ten  persons ; 
another,  of  a  higher  order,  collects  ten  of  these  first,  and  so  on ;  so 
that,  in  substance,  the  last  person  is  answerable  for  the  subscriptions  of 
a  thousand.  Their  plan,  also,  of  Missions,  is  admirable ;  their  mis- 
sionaries in  every  country  are  instructed  to  look  out  for  young  men  of 
talent  and  zeal,  and  likely  to  make  good  missionaries.  These  they 
import  to  Rome,  and  give  them,  in  their  Propaganda  College,  a  first- 
rate  education.  They  detain  them  there,  if  upon  their  first  coming 
they  understand  the  rudiments  of  Latin,  &c.,  seven  years,  otherwise 


*  This  gang  afterwards  robbed  Don  Miguel,  the  ex-king  of  Portugal,  as 
he  was  returning  from  a  shooting  excursion. 


1840.]  ROMAN  PRISONS.  399 

twelve,  and  then  send  them  back  as  missionaries  to  the  country  from 
which  they  were  taken.  In  this  way,  they  have  here  at  present  under 
education  130  young  men  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  recently 
discourses  were  delivered  by  them  in  forty-three  different  languages ; 
and  they  seem  a  body  of  very  intelligent  and  well-educated  youths. 
No  wonder,  then,  that  their  religion  spreads  as  it  seems  to  be 
doing.  In  1825  they  had  but  thirteen  Roman  Catholics  in  Guiana, 
and  now  there  are  5000!  When  the  United  States  separated  from 
Great  Britain,  they  had  one  bishop,  twenty  priests,  and  a  small  Roman 
Catholic  population.  They  have  now  1,500,000  Roman  Catholics! 
Surely  these  facts,  which  I  collected  from  the  head  of  the  Jesuits,  are 
both  stimulating  and  instructive. 

"  Excuse  me  for  putting  all  this  down.  I  keep  no  journal,  and  only 
contrive  to  record  the  facts  which  I  wish  to  remember,  by  inflicting 
them  upon  somebody  in  the  shape  of  an  epistle.  I  will  only  add,  that 
I  think  we  must  have  a  grand  college  at  Antigua,  or  somewhere,  for 
youths  from  all  the  tribes  of  Africa. 

"  But  now  for  another  matter,  on  which  I  am  really  distressed  for 
the  want  of  your  assistance.  You  advise  me  to  visit  the  prisons.  The 
fact  is,  I  have  been  doing  so.  I  thought  it  a  shame  for  an  old  prison- 
fancier  to  be  here  with  so  much  to  be  seen  in  this  way,  and  not  to 
devote  some  portion  of  his  leisure  to  it.  I  therefore  made  a  formal 
application  to  the  Cardinal  Minister,  and  almost  immediately  I  received, 
to  the  astonishment  of  both  Romans  and  English,  a  full  permission  to 
visit  all  the  gaols,  with  the  offer  of  every  species  of  information  ;  also 
all  the  hospitals,  and  all  the  places  for  education.  To  the  two  last  the 
Cardinal  offered  to  accompany  me ;  but,  as  yet,  I  have  not  been  to 
them,  and  it  is  very  likely  I  shall  not  have  time,  but  a  party  of  us  have 
gone  the  round  of  the  prisons  within  Rome.  To-morrow  I  visit  the 
prison  hospitals ;  and  on  Friday  next  I  go  to  two  large  out-lying  gaols. 
I  shall  then  have  completed  this  part  of  my  work  as  far  as  Rome  is 
concerned.  There  are  some  large  prisons  at  a  distance  within  the 
Papal  dominions,  and  these  I  shall  endeavour  to  see. 

"The  subject  has  attracted  some  attention.  The  Romans  are 
mightily  taken  with  it,  and  look  upon  the  permission  given  to  me  as 
an  unheard-of  instance  of  liberality  on  the  part  of  their  Sovereign,  and 
beg  that  I  will  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  and  speak  out.  Three 
English  noblemen  have  been  amongst  the  number  of  my  companions, 
and  they  are  engaged  to  go  with  me  on  Friday,  I  was  yesterday  taken 
by  one  of  them  to  Lord  Shrewsbury,  who  tells  me  that  Prince  Borghcse 
is  inclined  to  establish  a  Prison  Discipline  Society.  This  is  what  I  am 
at  now. 

"The  state  of  the  prisons  is  substantially  this:  they  are  very  clean 


400  ROMAN  PRISONS.  [CHAP.  xxvm. 

(to  be  sure  they  knew  we  were  coming,  and  it  must  be  remembered 
throughout  that  we  were  never  able  to  take  them  by  surprise),  the 
rooms  are  very  lofty,  and  the  air  always  fresh  and  good  ;  the  pro- 
visions good  in  quality,  and,  I  should  think,  sufficient.  But  one  of  the 
questions  which  I  especially  want  you  to  give  me  an  answer  upon  is, 
•what,  in  addition  to  a  ladleful  of  weak  meat  soup, — being  in  quantity,  I 
should  imagine,  about  three-quarters  of  a  pint,  ought  to  be  the  allow- 
ance of  bread  for  a  prisoner,  not  in  solitude  and  not  employed  ? 

"  I  now  come  to  the  defects.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  classification, 
except,  indeed,  an  attempt  upon  a  small  scale  with  regard  to  boys. 
Male  prisoners  of  all  ages,  and  for  all  crimes,  from  common  assault  to 
murder,  are  congregated  together.  In  one  instance  there  were  200  in 
one  spacious  room.  There  is  no  inspection  whatsoever.  There  is  no 
work  for  the  great  majority.  The  felons  convicted  and  sentenced  for 
long  periods  are  worked  in  the  public  streets ;  but  the  remainder,  tried 
and  untried  (and  they  amount  to  several  hundreds),  have  nothing  what- 
ever to  do.  There  is  no  regular  gaol  delivery ;  so  that  we  met  with 
several  persons  who  had  been  detained  before  trial  for  upwards  of  a 
year.  There  is  no  school ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  mass  on  the 
Sunday,  and  the  repetition  of  a  creed  at  nightfall,  there  is  little  effort 
made  to  convey  religious  instruction.  These,  I  think,  are  the  leading 
particulars.  I  should  have  said,  however,  that  there  are  no  chains, 
except  for  persons  convicted  of  infamous  crimes  (answering  to  our 
felonies),  and  that  there  is  neither  the  solitary  nor  the  silent  system. 

"  Now,  then,  I  want  you  and  Crawford  to  tell  me  what  I  should 
urge  upon  the  Government.  They  have  plenty  of  space  about  their 
gaols,  so  that  there  is  room  enough  within  the  walls  for  any  improve- 
ment ;  but  the  Government  is  poor.  I  find  myself  considerably  at  a 
loss  from  my  inability  to  revive  my  old  Prison  Discipline  lore.  I  am 
doing  my  best  to  get  a  book  which  I  think  I  once  read ;  it  was  written 
in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  Prison  Discipline  question,  and  is  called, 
if  I  recollect  right,  '  Buxton  on  Prison  Discipline.'  If  I  get  this  it 
will  be  something  ;  but  I  look  far  more  to  an  immediate  communication 
from  you  and  Crawford. 

"  Neri,  who  I  understand  bears  the  title  of  Chancellor,  and  is  a  very 
intelligent  man,  accompanied  me  through  all  the  gaols,  and  has  ear- 
nestly asked  me  to  apply  both  to  our  Government  and  your  Society,  for 
any  documents,  plans,  &c.,  which  might  be  useful  to  a  Government 
desiring  to  improve  its  prisons.  So,  if  you  please,  you  must  ^ct  me 
what  your  Society  can  furnish,  and  Crawford  moat  apply  to  tho  Marquis 
of  Normanby,  who  will,  I  am  sure,  cheerfully  lend  his  assistance  in 
such  a  cause. 

"  Executions  are  rare,  especially  considering   that  murders  are  so 


1840.]  ROMAN  INSTITUTIONS.  401 

plentiful.  They  told  me  that  there  were  only  two  or  three  in  a  year. 
I  ought  to  add,  that  books  are  not  allowed  to  the  prisoners,  except  by 
special  permission.  We  saw,  I  think,  but  four  or  five  in  all  the  gaols. 

"  Not  another  moment  have  I,  except  to  say  that  I  heartily  hope 
the  boys  enjoyed  themselves  as  much  in  their  Norfolk  excursion  as  you 
and  I  used  to  do  some  thirty  years  ago." 

TO  EDWARD  N.  15UXTON,  ESQ. 

"  Jan.  30. 

"  I  went  yesterday  with  Richards  to  the  Santo  Spirito  Hospital.  It 
beats  everything  of  the  kind  we  have  in  England,  and  is  a  most  noble 
institution.  I  measured  one  room,  170  yards  long,  and  broad  and  lofty 
in  proportion.  There  were  four  rows  of  beds,  all  superlatively  clean, 
the  ventilation  perfect :  another  room  as  large  above,  and  into  each  of 
these  other  rooms  opened,  all  very  spacious.  It  is  capable  of  con- 
taining 1400  patients.  There  are  260  attendants,  including  90  young 
physicians  and  surgeons.  Any  person,  no  matter  of  what  country  or  of 
what  religion,  has  a  right  to  admission,  and  they  have  never  been 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  sending  any  one  away  for  want  of  room. 
The  museum  with  preparations  of  the  human  body  in  every  form,  the 
library,  the  lecture-rooms,  &c.  &c.,  are  all  admirable.  They  have 
thirteen  resident  chaplains.  In  short,  everything  was  of  huge  di- 
mensions, and  in  the  highest  order.  Annexed  to  it  was  a  criminal 
prison.  There  was  also  a  madhouse,  in  which  there  was  no  solitary 
confinement,  and  only  ten  out  of  the  whole  number  had  strait  waistcoats  ; 
and  these  were  concealed  under  their  clothes.  They  told  us  that  one- 
fourth  were  annually  dismissed  as  cured.  There  were  also  a  Foundling 
Hospital,  and  an  institution  for  the  girls  who  had  been  brought  up  in  it. 
We  saw  550  of  these  damsels  all  employed  ;  and  they  have  one  curious 
plan.  Anybody  who  wants  a  wife  may  order  one  at  this  shop.  He 
has  but  to  knock  at  the  door,  prove  that  he  is  respectable,  and  then 
they  are  singly  paraded  before  him,  and  he  has  to  pick  out  one  to  his 
liking ;  and,  after  a  time,  he  carries  her  oft',  and  with  her  a  hundred 
crowns.  What  fine  fun  the  ladies  must  have  when  any  one  comes  to 
inspect  them  !  The  old  abbess  who  accompanied  us  seemed  highly 
amused  by  our  diligent  inquiries,  especially  on  this  point,  and  by  the 
notes  we  took." 

TO  MRS.  JOHNSTON. 

"  Jan.  31,  1840. 

"  I  must  tell  you  about  the  dinner  party  at  Lord  Shrewsbury's  yester- 
day. Except  myself,  and,  I  think,  one  more,  there  was  no  one  who 
had  not  some  mark  of  nobility  in  his  coat.  There  were  three  ambas- 
sadors, some  English  noblemen,  and  about  half-a-dozen  princes, — 

2  D 


402  THE  DUC  DE  BORDEAUX.  [CHAP,  xxvin. 

twenty-four  in  all.  I  had  scarcely  entered  the  room  before  a  Monsignor 
seized  my  hand  and  affected  to  kiss  it ;  this  was  the  Governor  of  Rome, 
who  had  given  us  the  order  of  admission  into  all  the  prisons,  hospitals, 
&c.  He  and  I  had  a  very  interesting  conversation,  and  as  long  a  one 
as  could  well  be  expected,  considering  that  he  understood  but  two 
words  of  English,  and  I  about  three  of  Italian.  Oh!  this  plague  of 
languages!  Next  came  up  Prince  Borghese,  a  very  pleasing  young 
man,  who  spoke  a  little  English,  and  before  whom  I  threw  the  pro- 
posal that  he  should  become  the  chairman  of  a  Prison  Discipline  Asso- 
ciation. I  was  afterwards  introduced  to  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  with 
whom  I  had  some  conversation  on  the  slave-trade,  and  who  expressed 
a  wish  to  see  my  book.  He  also  said  mighty  civil  things.  Poor 

fellow  !  he  has  a  sweet  expression  of  countenance  ;  conceive  Mrs. , 

with  the  same  expression,  and  the  same  extreme  clearness  and  clean- 
liness of  skin,  but  with  broader  features,  and  a  stouter  person,  and  a 
heavier  eye,  and  you  have  a  good  picture  of  the  man. 

"  The  Pretender's  course  is  not  a  smooth  one.  If  he  has  either 
extreme  of  character  he  may  do  well.  Let  him  be  excessively  quiet, 
devoid  of  ambition  and  enterprise,  that  may  do.  Or  let  him  be  clever, 
daring,  sagacious,  ambitious,  and  commanding,  and  that,  perhaps,  will 
do.  But,  if  there  is  any  mixture  in  his  composition, — if  the  least  dash 
of  adventure  is  coupled  with  his  love  of  ease,  or  the  least  love  of  peace 
is  mingled  with  his  ambition,  he  will  assuredly  be  a  martyr.  One 
cannot  see  the  Duke  without  liking  him,  and  wishing  that  he  may  have 
the  good  sense  to  steer  clear  of  turbulent  politics. 

"  At  dinner  I  sat  next  to  Lady  Shrewsbury's  sister,  who  told  me 
everything  about  everybody.  Among  the  rest,  that  that  beautiful 
refined  creature,  the  Princess  Doria,  actually  goes  every  day  in  the 
Holy  Week  to  wash  the  feet  of  the  patients  in  the  hospital.  Well ! 
well !  good  people  may  abhor  the  Roman  Catholics  if  they  please,  and 
may  feel,  as  I  do,  that  they  are  led  dangerously  astray  in  their  doctrines, 
but  I  never  will  join  in  setting  them  down  as  creatures  devoid  of  deep 
feelings  of  religion,  nor  can  I  deny  that  there  is  humility  and  self-denial 
in  such  an  act  as  I  have  described. 

"  I  will  now  tell  you  a  circumstance  which,  as  I  think  Andrew  John- 
ston was  a  party  in  the  matter,  will  please  him,  as  I  confess  it  did  me. 
Does  he  recollect  that  a  clergyman  named  Nixon  wrote  to  me  from 
Ireland,  complaining  of  the  operation  of  the  law,  by  which  he  and 
several  others  severely  suffered  ;  some  losing  a  third,  some  half,  and  in 
two  or  three  cases  all  their  income  ?  Does  he  recollect  also  that  I 
took  up  the  case,  and  got  Lord  Morpeth  to  insert  a  curing  clause  in 
the  Irish  Church  Bill?  That  Bill,  however,  was  thrown  out;  so  I 
presumed  that  my  effort  had  been  fruitless.  Not  so,  however ;  Nixon 


1840.]  THE  SAN  MICHELE  ASYLUM.  403 

is  here,  and  tells  me  that  last  year,  when  there  was  a  new  Churrh  Hill, 
they  reminded  Morpeth  of  his  promise — my  clause  was  again  intro- 
duced— it  became  law ;  a  hundred  clergymen  in  his  diocese,  and  an 
equal  proportion  in  all  the  other  dioceses,  were  greatly  benefited  by  it, 
and  some  very  deserving  men  saved  from  complete  ruin.  This  has 
really  pleased  me  ;  I  am  glad  that  my  slight  effort  has  contributed  to 
the  comfort  of  these  good  people." 

"  Feb.  6. 

"  I  had  fixed  to  start  early  this  morning  snipe- shooting,  but  the  rain 
has  kept  me  in.  I  have  been  in  Rome  now  nearly  two  months,  and 
till  a  week  past  we  had  no  rain  ;  but  when  it  does  come  it  is  in  right 
down  earnest.  To  walk  along  the  streets  then  is  as  if  there  were 
people  at  every  window  throwing  buckets  full  of  water  at  you.  It  is 
calculated  that  the  number  of  days  of  rain  at  Rome  is  one-third  less 
than  in  London,  while  the  quantity  of  rain  which  actually  falls  here  is 
one-third  more. 

"  On  Wednesday  next  I  am  engaged  to  the  Prince  of  Musignano,* 
Bonaparte's  nephew  and  heir,  who,  if  we  had  been  beaten  at  Waterloo, 
would  probably  have  been  king  of  the  world.  Not  that  I  believe  a 
word  of  this.  I  am  well  persuaded  that  there  is  a  good  Providence  over 
England,  and  that,  while  she  is  employed  in  abolishing  slavery  and  the 
slave-trade,  sending  out  missions  and  Bibles,  she  is  safe  enough,  both 
from  Chartists  and  French.  We  have  a  great  many  friends  here.  In 
the  mornings  I  have  for  some  time  been  visiting  the  prisons,  hospitals, 
&c.,  two  or  three  days  a  week,  and  afterwards  joining  the  ladies.  On 
Tuesday  I  finished  the  prisons  by  seeing  the  San  Michele.  This  is  an 
asylum  for  orphans,  old  men  and  old  women  (several  hundreds  of  each), 
and  a  very  good  one  it  is.  Annexed  to  it  was  a  female  prison,  280 
women  in  it ;  some  imprisoned  for  life,  others  for  periods  from  twenty 
years  down  to  one.  It  is  a  wretched  place,  with  next  to  no  instruction. 
Of  the  280  prisoners,  only  thirty  could  read.  Why  don't  they  elect 
me  Pope  ?  The  army  of  priests  should  soon  have  something  to  do  in 
the  way  of  Infant  Schools,  &c.  I  am  going  to  make  a  report  to  the 
Governor  here,  who  has  been  excessively  liberal  in  furnishing  me  with 
information  ;  but  I  am  sadly  distressed  for  want  of  my  book  on  Prisons. 

"  On  Tuesday,  as  I  said,  after  seeing  the  San  Michele,  I  went  with 
Lord  Meath,  Lord  de  Mauley,  and  Richards,  to  the  church  of  San 
Augustino.  The  panels  adjacent  to  the  altar  were  covered  with  knives 
and  pistols,  which  had  been  presented  by  robbers  and  murderers  to  the 
Virgin.  I  suppose  you  have  heard  of  Spink's  adventure  ;  it  made  us 
look  upon  the  knives  with  something  more  of  interest.  On  Wednesday 


Now  Prince  de  Canino. 

2  D  2 


404  THE  JESUITS.  [CHAP,  XXYIII. 

we  went  to  the  Corsini  Palace :  there  are  two  svcli  pictures  there  of 
Christ,  with  a  crown  of  thorns  ;  the  one,  the  Ecce  Homo  of  Guercino, — 
the  other,  in  some  respects  still  more  touching,  by  Carlo  Dolce.  There 
was  also  the  exquisite  picture  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  by  Murillo.  I 
longed  to  steal  it.  Yesterday  we  saw  a  splendid  collection  at  the  Bor- 
ghese  Palace,  and  then  we  had  a  long  conversation  with  a  Jesuit.  I 
am  very  anxious  to  make  myself  master  of  their  system  of  missions  and 
of  that  of  the  Lyons  Society.  They  seem  to  effect  so  much,  with  means 
so  limited ;  besides,  I  am  persuaded  they  are  upon  the  right  principle. 
Their  whole  fight  is  for  native  missionaries.  Their  first  act  is  to  esta- 
blish schools,  in  which,  however,  the  instruction  of  the  people  is  a  very 
secondary  object ;  the  main  purpose  being  to  get  a  number  of  children, 
so  far  educated  that  they  may  pick  out  a  few  fitted  by  talent,  disposition, 
and  ready  reception  of  Christianity,  to  be  sent  to  Rome  to  receive  a 
thorough  education.  Here  they  detain  them,  in  some  cases  for  seven, 
in  others  for  twelve  years,  and  send  them  back,  well  instructed  as  mis- 
sionaries, to  their  own  country. 

"  Now  I  must  tell  you  that  the  Jesuits  and  I  are  playing  a  game  of 
chess.  They  hope,  I  fancy,  from  my  willingness  to  listen,  from  my 
eagerness  to  learn,  from  my  ready  laudation  of  all  that  I  find  reason  to 
approve,  that  they  will  make  me  a  convert  to  Popery.  I,  on  the  other 
hand,  wish  to  make  myself  master  of  the  secrets  of  the  system  which 
has  rendered  the  Jesuit  missions  so  eminently  successful  ;  and  I  tell 
them,  without  reserve,  that  this  is  my  object.  Nevertheless,  they  are 
vastly  communicative. 

"  I  was  adverse  to  the  Catholic  religion  when  I  left  England,  because 
I  saw  the  error  of  their  doctrines  ;  but  now,  when  I  see  in  their  practice 
the  fruit  of  their  system,  and  the  depravity  of  the  people  that  are  so 
taught,  I  am  still  more  Protestant  than  ever,  if  it  be  possible.  To  do 
them  justice,  preaching  Christ  is  part  of  their  practice,  but  the  divine 
powers  of  our  Saviour  are  shared  with  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  she  takes 
not  only  the  mother's,  but  the  lion's  portion.  Then  their  system  of 
religion  seems  to  be  destitute  of  spirituality.  Moreover,  they  seem  to 
teach  scarcely  any  morality.  I  found  my  wife  yesterday  announcing  to 
our  Italian  maid  the  novel  intelligence  of  the  Ten  Commandments. 
This  girl  had  had  an  education,  but  apparently  not  a  very  profound  one  ; 
for  according,  as  she  said,  to  the  ,'practice  of  Rome,  she  had  only  re- 
mained at  school  one  week,  in  order  to  learn  how  to  say  mass. 

"  I  have  just  been  looking  out  of  the  window  at  the  rain,  the  like  of 
which  I  never  saw,  except  at  our  pic-nic  at  Beckham,  when,  as  some 
one  described  it,  '  the  drops  were  as  thick  as  hail,  and  every  drop  a  pail- 
ful.' Collier  (the  Jesuit)  told  us  of  a  speech  of  a  priest  in  Maranham 
against  slavery,  of  so  powerful  a  nature  that  after  it  the  whole  congre- 


1840.]  LETTER  TO  THE  BISHOP  OF  CALCUTTA.  405 

gation  liberated  their  slaves ;  and  he  said  that  priests  in  slave  colonies 
had  been  the  natural  and  enthusiastic  protectors  of  the  negroes.  He 
also  used  or  quoted  a  sentence  which  just  hit  the  mark  in  my  mind. 
Speaking  of  some  one  he  said,  '  He  is  of  the  body  of  the  church,  but 
not  of  its  soul."  " 

Among  all  the  occupations  and  amusements  of  Eome,  Mr. 
Buxton's  mind  continually  turned  to  his  accustomed  objects  of 
interest.  He  thus  writes  to  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta  on  the  loth 
of  February: — 

"  I  need  scarcely  say  that  I  feel  deeply  your  promptitude  in  acting 
upon  my  letter  relating  to  the  Indian  slaves.  It  was  just  like  yourself, 
and  reminded  me  of  the  Daniel  Wilson  who  used  to  pour  his  whole 
heart  into  a  good  cause,  and  who,  unvexed  with  the  cautions  and  quali- 
fications of  ordinary  men,  threw  the  whole  weight  of  his  influence  into 
the  right  scale.  I  have  no  doubt  that  this  movement  of  yours  will  be 
attended  with  real  advantage.  I  regret  that  I  have  little  further  intelli- 
gence to  communicate  to  you.  There  was,  towards  the  conclusion  of 
last  session,  so  much  party-spirit,  and  such  a  nice  balance  of  parties,  that 
Lushington  thought  it  inexpedient  to  bring  on  the  question  of  East 
Indian  slavery.  This  discretion  is  scarcely  in  consonance  with  my  dis- 
position ;  I  am  more  inclined  for  working,  in  season  or  out  of  season, 
with  the  tide,  or  against  it.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  Lushington  is 
most  true  and  faithful  to  the  cause  ;  knows  far  better  than  I  do  the 
temper  of  the  present  House  of  Commons,  and  is  swayed  by  no  other 
motive  than  a  desire  to  act  for  the  best.  I  send  him  a  copy  of  your 
remarks,  which  cannot  fail  to  be  an  encouragement  to  him.  I  expect  to 
be  in  England  in  April,  and  you  shall  then  know  what  is  intended  to  be 
done ;  but  assure  yourself  of  this,  the  question  will  not  be  allowed  to 
go  to  sleep.  I  learn  that  a  grand  Anti-slavery  congress  is  to  meet  in 
London  next  June  ;  and  India  will  form  one  great  branch  of  discussion. 

"  Now  for  another  subject,  the  slave-trade.  Again  I  must  express 
the  pleasure  which  your  cordiality  gave  me.  The  Government  have,  as 
I  told  you  before,  embraced  and  adopted  my  plan,  and  have  acceded  to 
our  request  that  an  expedition  shall  proceed  up  the  Niger,  in  order  to 
make  treaties  with  the  native  powers,  and  to  explore  the  country;  and, 
possibly,  to  acquire  territory,  on  which  we  may  set  the  example  of 
growing  cotton.  The  expedition  will  sail  in  October.  It  will  consist 
of  three  steamers  of  large  dimensions,  but  of  little  draught  of  water. 
They  will  be  commanded  by  Christian  officers,  some  of  them  renouncing 
better  prospects,  and  going  in  a  true  missionary  spirit.  I  have  con- 
siderably enlarged  my  '  Remedy,'  and  have  especially  dwelt  on  Christian 
education,  and  the  elevation  of  the  native  mind.  I  do  not  enter  here 


406  INDIAN  SLAVERY.  [CHAP.  xxvm. 

into  particulars,  because  I  have  ordered  a  copy  to  be  forwarded  to  you 
as  soon  as  it  is  printed,  and  also  a  copy  of  the  prospectus  of  our  new 
Society,  which  is  something  akin  to  our  old  African  Institution. 

"  I  am  vexed  to  tell  you  that  Fernando  Po  is  not  as  yet  acquired  ; 
the  negotiation  is,  however,  still  going  on,  and  till  that  be  settled,  one 
way  or  the  other,  the  Government  object  to  my  book  being  published. 
It  is  vexing  enough  thus  to  be  kept  in  suspense,  or  rather  it  would  be 
so,  if  I  did  not  feel  a  comforting  assurance  that  there  is  a  great  and 
guiding  hand  regulating  all  our  movements. 

"  I  am  happy  to  tell  you  that  there  is  true  harmony  among  the  friends 
of  the  cause.  Two  of  its  principal  supporters  are  Sir  Robert  Inglis  and 
Lushington.  We  have  many  others  with  the  same  views  belonging  to 
the  two  great  political  parties.  Our  prospectus,  too,  will  be  signed  by 
the  Bishop  of  London,  and  by  the  heads  of  the  Methodists,  Baptists, 
Quakers,  &c. 

"  It  grieves  me  that  we  cannot  agree  upon  one  great  and  uniform 
system  of  religious  instruction.  Men  will  divide  their  affections  be- 
tween their  religion  and  the  denomination  to  which  they  belong.  But 
•what  we  cannot  do  as  one  great  body,  must  be  effected  by  us  as  separate 
bodies.  If  you  ask  me  what  of  all  things  I  should  best  like,  I  answer, 
to  see  somewhere  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  in  a  healthy  situation,  a  great 
Black  College,  for  the  education  of  native  missionaries  and  schoolmasters 
for  Africa,  on  the  purest  and  most  evangelical  principles.  That  is  what 
we  want.  Without  Christianity  all  our  efforts  will  be  but  idle  dreams ; 
and  happy  am  I  to  say  that  this  is  the  unanimous  and  avowed  sentiment 
of  our  Society.  If  you  like  our  prospectus,  I  must  ask  you  to  permit 
me  to  enrol  your  name  amongst  our  members." 

TO  EDWABD  N.  BUXTOX,  ESQ. 

"Feb.  15. 

"  On  Thursday,  after  a  busy  morning,  I  went  with  Richards  and 
had  a  thorough  study  of  the  Forum,  and  stood  on  the  very  spot  where 
Cicero  pronounced  his  speeches  against  Catiline  ;  and  where,  in  view 
of  the  Capitol,  he  uttered  those  noble  words,  '  Turn  tu,  Jupiter,  quern 
Statorem  hujusurbis  atque  imperii  vere  nominamus,  hunc  et  hujus  socios 
a  tuis  aris,  ceterisque  templis,  et  tectis  urbis  ac  moenibus,  a  vita  fortu- 
nisque  civium  omnium  arcebis,  ct  seternis  suppliciis  vivos  mortuosque 
mactabis.'  This  was  in  the  senate,  then  held  in  the  Temple  of  Con- 
cord. I  also  saw  the  place  where  the  rostrum  stood,  from  which  the 
orators  used  to  address  the  people  at  large  :  also  the  Temple  of  Anto- 
ninus, and  the  one  which  Augustus  dedicated  to  Jupiter  Tonans,  in 
commemoration  of  his  servant  being  killed  at  his  side  by  a  thunderbolt ; 
also  the  well-preserved  and  beautiful  remains  of  the  Temple  of  Fortune. 


1840.]  THE  FORUM.  407 

What  scenes  have  passed  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  spot  where  I 
stood !  There  Romulus  fled  from  the  Sabines,  and  there  he  rallied,  and 
built  a  temple  to  Jupiter  Stator  ;  there  the  Gracchi  had  their  tumultuous 
meetings  ;  there  Anthony  made  his  oration  over  the  dead  body  of 
Caesar ;  and  there  the  Roman  senate  issued  their  decrees  affecting  all 
the  known  world,  which  they  say  were  designed,  '  Parcere  subjectis  et 
debellare  superbos,'  which,  properly  translated,  means  '  to  slaughter 
those  who  resist  and  make  slaves  of  the  rest.'  I  put  down  all  this  parade 
of  learning,  (with  much  of  which  Richards  has  crammed  me,)  with  no 
view  to  your  edification,  still  less  for  your  amusement ;  but  when  one 
has  more  learning  than  one  knows  what  to  do  with,  it  is  very  convenient 
to  deposit  it  in  a  letter,  where  it  is  safe  for  future  use  without  the 
trouble  of  carrying  it  about." 


408  MR.  RICHARDS'  RECOLLECTIONS.        [CHAP.  xxix. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

1840. 

Mr.  Richards'  Recollections  —  Prisons  at  Civita  Vecchia  —  Italian  Banditti 
—  Gasparoni  —  Illness  —  Naples  —  Pompeii  —  Prospect  of  a  War  between 
Naples  and  England  —  Excitement  at  Naples  —  Mr.  Buxtou  returns  to 

'    England. 

SOME  recollections  of  Mr.  Buxton's  stay  at  Rome  are  thus 
given  by  Mr.  Richards,  who  was  an  inmate  of  his  family  at  the 
time : — 

"  Our  sojourn  at  Rome  was  a  critical  period  of  Mr.  Buxton's  life — 
the  period  between  the  full  development  of  his  '  Remedy '  and  the 
anxious  moment  of  putting  it  to  the  test  of  experiment.  He  came  to 
Rome  fatigued  and  exhausted,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  weight  of 
care  for  Africa  pressed  heavily  upon  him.  Often,  amidst  the  ruins  of 
Rome,  whilst  leaning  upon  my  shoulder  and  surveying  the  objects  around 
him  with  apparently  the  liveliest  interest,  he  has  suddenly  become 
silent  and  abstracted,  and,  from  the  deep-drawn  sighs  that  escaped  him 
with  painful  frequency  during  these  often  protracted  reveries,  I  soon 
discovered  that  the  ruins  on  the  shores  of  the  Tiber  did  but  transport 
his  thoughts  to  the  more  frightful  desolation  of  the  Niger.  Even  then 
I  had  forebodings,  that  whatever  might  be  the  success  of  that  expedi- 
tion, its  author  at  all  events  was  doomed  to  be  one  of  its  martyrs  ;  and 
I  for  one  have  a  firm  conviction  that  such  has  been  the  result.  In  fact, 
the  subject  needed  a  composition  of  '  sterner  stuff'  than  his  to  bear  its 
consideration.  Nevertheless,  the  strife  in  his  mind  neither  impaired  its 
activity  nor  paralysed  his  efforts  of  usefulness,  for  almost  immediately 
on  his  arrival  in  Rome  he  conceived,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  carry 
into  execution,  his  plan  of  visiting  the  prisons  and  charitable  institutions 
of  that  city.  These  were  not  visits  of  mere  curiosity ;  they  were  con- 
certed and  arranged  with  a  view  to  the  suggestion  of  practical  improve- 
ments where  necessary,  as  well  as  to  the  acquisition  of  new  ideas  upon 
matters  which  had  long  occupied  his  thoughts  ;  and  in  carrying  out  this, 
which  he  apprehended  to  be  his  present  duty,  he  had  often  to  struggle 
painfully  against  the  prostrating  effects  of  bodily  languor  and  mental 
oppression.  I  had  the  privilege  of  being  his  constant  companion  in  his 


1840.]  MR.  RICHARDS'  RECOLLECTIONS.  409 

visits,  and  deeply  interesting  it  was  to  waich  the  satisfaction  and  delimit 
which  he  derived  from  whatever  was  excellent  in  these  institutions,  and 
the  intense  sympathy  with  which  he  examined  the  state  of  the  inmates 
of  those  dungeons.  Clear  it  was  that  his  was  no  capricious  sentiment 
in  favour  of  one  colour  or  race,  hut  a  deep  feeling  for  suffering,  degraded 
humanity,  under  whatever  circumstances.  Whilst  engaged  in  this 
pursuit,  by  which  he  seemed  to  endeavour  to  divert  his  mind  for  a  time 
from  its  engrossing  care,  he  likewise  often  entered,  con  amore,  into  the 
field  of  classical  antiquities.  He  delighted  to  revive  his  classical  recol- 
lections, and  often  they  awoke  at  his  call,  most  aptly  and  successfully. 
I  cannot  easily  forget  our  first  walk  through  the  Forum,  nor  the  en- 
thusiasm with  which  he  surveyed  the  campagna  from  the  tower  on  the 
Capitol,  now  and  then  illustrating  with  great  zest,  from  the  Roman 
poets,  the  objects  of  interest  which  were  pointed  out  to  him.  Juvenal 
was  his  favourite  poet,  who  appeared  to  hold  in  your  father's  estimation 
the  same  place  among  the  ancients  as  Dryden  among  the  moderns  ;  the 
peculiar  raciness  of  their  style  being  exactly  congenial  to  his  taste. 
From  my  first  acquaintance  with  him,  I  had  been  struck  with  his  par- 
tiality for  this  poet,  an  apt  quotation  from  whom,  whether  cited  by  him- 
self or  another,  would  always  give  him  the  highest  delight;  and  now, 
amidst  the  still-surviving  shadows  of  Roman  manners,  his  references  to 
the  keen  satirist  were  frequent.  Another  minor  characteristic  of  him, 
which  I  had  before  observed,  but  which  I  now  saw  brought  out  into 
stronger  light,  was  his  great  fondness  for  romantic  incident  and  ad- 
venture, lie  would  listen,  with  almost  a  boyish  interest,  to  the  tales  of 
heroic  daring,  and  lawless  adventure  and  enterprise,  which  are  still  rife 
among  the  Apennines,  and  he  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  collecting  the 
stories  which  any  known  locality  might  afford. 

"  In  now  bringing  him  more  distinctly  before  my  mind,  I  am  filled 
with  admiration  and  love  ;  and  I  esteem  it  the  highest  privilege  of  my 
life  that  I  was  acquainted  with  him,  that  I  knew  something  of  his  inner 
mind,  and,  above  all,  that  I  was  honoured  with  his  friendship." 

TO  SAMUEL  HOARE,  ESQ. 

"  Rome,  March  3. 

"  I  have  had  occasion  to  remember  the  excursion  to  the  prison  at  St. 
Albans,  which  you  and  I  took  long  ago,  when,  on  Monday  morning. 
Richards  and  I  were  trotting  along  in  a  diligence  to  Civita  Vecchia. 
The  gaol  there,  which  was  the  object  of  our  journey,  is  an  old  and  strong 
fortress  close  by  the  sea,  and  contains  1364  desperate-looking  criminals, 
all  for  the  most  aggravated  offences.  I  am  sure  you  never  saw  such  a 
gantr  of  malefactors,  or  such  a  horrid  dungeon.  We  went,  first,  into  a 
vaulted  room,  with  a  low  ceiling,  as  I  measured  it,  thirty-one  yards 


410  PRISONS  AT  CIVITA  VECCH1A.         [CHAP.  xxix. 

long,  twenty-one  broad.  There  was  light,  but  obscure.  A  good  deal 
of  the  room  was  taken  up  by  the  buttresses  which  supported  the  arches. 
The  noise  on  our  entrance  was  such  as  may  be  imagined  at  the  entrance 
of  hell  itself.  All  were  chained  most  heavily,  and  fastened  down.  The 
murderers  and  desperate  bandits  are  fixed  to  that  spot  for  the  rest  of 
their  lives ;  they  are  chained  to  a  ring,  fastened  to  the  end  of  the  plat- 
form, on  which  they  lie  side  by  side,  but  they  can  move  the  length  of 
their  chain  on  a  narrow  gangway.  Of  this  class,  there  were  upwards  of 
700  in  the  prison  ;  some  of  them  famed  for  a  multitude  of  murders ; 
many,  we  are  told,  had  committed  six  or  seven ;  and,  indeed,  they  were 
a  ghastly  crew, — haggard,  ferocious,  reckless  assassins.  I  do  not  think 
that  the  attendant  gaoler  very  much  liked  our  being  there.  A  sergeant, 
in  uniform,  was  ordered  to  keep  close  by  me ;  and  I  observed  that  he 
kept  his  hand  upon  his  sword,  as  we  walked  up  the  alley  between  the 
adjacent  platforms. 

"  There  was  a  fourth  room  at  some  distance,  and  our  guide  employed 
many  expedients  to  divert  us  from  going  there.  *  *  *  This  was  worse 
than  any  of  the  others :  the  room  lower,  damper,  darker,  and  the  pri- 
soners with,  if  possible,  a  more  murderous  look.  *  *  *  The  Mayor 
afterwards  told  us,  that  he  in  his  official  capacity  knew  that  there  was  a 
murder  every  month  among  the  prisoners.  I  spoke  to  a  good  many  of 
them,  and,  with  one  exception,  each  said  that  he  was  condemned  for 
murder  or  stabbing.  I  will  tell  you  one  short  conversation  :  '  What  are 
you  here  for?'  said  I  to  a  heavy-looking  fellow,  lying  on  his  back  at  the 
end  of  the  room.  He  made  no  answer;  but  a  prisoner  near  him,  with 
the  sharp  features  and  dark  complexion  of  an  Italian,  promptly  said, 
'  He  is  here  for  stabbing'  (giving  a  thrust  with  his  hand  to  show  how 
it  was  done).  '  And  why  is  he  in  this  part  of  the  prison  ?'  '  Because 
he  is  incorrigible.'  '  And  what  were  you  condemned  for  ?'  '  For 
murder.'  '  And  why  placed  here  ?'  '  Sono  incorrigibile.'  *  *  *  In 
short,  this  prison  combines  together,  in  excess,  all  the  evils  of  which 
prisons  are  capable.  It  is,  as  the  Mayor  said,  a  sink  of  all  the  iniquity 
of  the  state.  The  Capuchins  certainly  preach  them  a  sermon  on  the 
Sunday,  and  afford  them  an  opportunity  of  confession ;  of  which,  if  the 
prisoners  avail  themselves,  the  priests  must  have  enough  to  do.  The 
sight  of  it  has  kindled  in  my  mind  a  very  strong  desire  that  the  old 
Prison  Discipline  Society  should  make  a  great  effort,  and  visit  all  the 
prisons  of  the  world.  I  had  hoped  that  sound  principles  of  prison  dis- 
cipline had  spread  themselves  more  widely  ;  but  I  now  fear  that  there 
are  places,  and  many  of  them,  in  the  world,  in  which  it  is  horrible  that 
human  beings  should  live,  and  still  more  horrible  that  they  should 
die." 


1840.]  ITALIAN  BANDITTI.  411 

"  March  4. 

"  Having  in  yesterday's  letter  given  you  a  heavy  and  dreary  account 
of  the  prisons  here,  I  must  now  furnish  you  with  a  history  of  some  of 
their  inmates.  In  the  citadel  of  Civita  Vecchia,  Gasparoni  and  his 
gang  are  confined,  and  have  been  so  for  the  last  fourteen  years.  There 
are  many  renowned  robbers  in  this  country,  but  none  so  celebrated  as 
this  Gasparoni ;  and  I  had  the  honour  of  an  interview  of  two  hours  with 
him  and  his  band.  He  is  a  very  fine-looking  fellow,  about  five  feet 
eleven  high,  with  as  strong  and  brick-icall  an  arm  as  ever  I  felt,  except, 
perhaps,  General  Turner's  ;  he  wore  an  old  velvet  coat,  which  had  seen 
service  with  him,  and  a  large  peaked  hat.  There  was  nothing  ferocious 
in  the  expression  of  his  countenance.  I  am  going  to  have  his  picture 
taken,  a  compliment  which  his  appearance  well  deserves ;  for  he  is  the 
beau-ideal  of  a  Robin  Hood  or  Rob  Roy.  By  his  side  there  was  a 
fiendish-looking  wretch,  who  plagued  us  with  his  interruptions.  This 
fellow  is  said  to  have  joined  the  band  chiefly  from  his  love  of  human 
blood,  and  his  post  was  that  of  executioner. 

"Gasparoni  was  very  communicative;  only  that,  either  from  the 
modesty  which  belongs  to  great  men,  or  some  latent  hope  of  pardon,  he 
greatly  underrates  his  own  exploits.  For  example,  to  my  question, 
1  How  many  people  have  you  murdered  ?'  he  replied,  '  I  cannot  exactly 
recollect,  somewhere  about  sixty !'  whereas  it  is  notorious  that  he  has 
slaughtered  at  least  double  the  number.  Indeed,  the  Mayor  of  Civita 
Vecchia  assured  me,  that  he  had  received  authentic  information  of  200  ; 
but  he  believed  that  even  that  number  was  still  below  the  mark.  This 
man,  according  to  his  own  account,  when  he  was  but  a  young  lad,  killed 
a  person  in  a  quarrel  and  fled  to  the  mountains,  where  he  was  joined  by 
a  few  young  men  of  similar  character.  Before  he  was  twenty  years  old 
he  had  committed  ten  murders,  and  was  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  robbers,  which  afterwards  amounted  to  about  thirty  of  his 
own  bodyguard;  but  there  were  two  or  three  other  bands  under  separate 
commanders,  one  of  whom  was  his  brother ;  he,  however,  was  lord  para- 
mount. 

"  It  is  incontestable  that  he  kept  a  district  of  country  of  at  least  one 
hundred  miles  in  circumference,  between  Rome  and  Naples,  in  the 
utmost  terror  and  subjection.  Those  proprietors  who  were  not  slain  by 
him  fled  the  country,  and  were  obliged  to  receive  such  a  modicum  of 
rent  as  the  tenants  who  compounded  with  Gasparoni  chose  to  pay  ;  but 
the  black  mail  which  he  levied  was  not  extravagant.  The  Government 
at  first  offered  200  crowns  for  his  head.  This  mounted  up  at  last  to 
3000  crowns,  and  that  was  the  fixed  price  for  many  years,  and  a  thousand 
soldiers  were  regularly  employed  in  hunting  him.  '  But  how  then,' 
said  I,  '  did  you  escape  ?'  '  That  you  will  never  understand,'  he  replied, 


412  GASPAROXI.  [CHAP.  xxix. 

'  till  you  see  the  rocks  and  precipices  that  are  there.  I  and  my  men 
knew  every  turn  ;  we  have  often  been  close  to  the  soldiers,  and  let  them 
pass  us,  when  they  had  no  notion  they  had  such  near  neighbours.'  Gas- 
paroni  had  many  conflicts  with  the  military,  in  which  he  was  uniformly 
successful ;  but  in  one  affair  he  received  a  ball  in  the  lower  part  of  his 
neck,  the  scar  of  which  he  showed  us.  He  described  one  conflict,  in 
which,  with  ten  or  twelve  of  his  men,  he  beat  off,  as  he  said,  thirty 
soldiers ;  but  the  ill-looking  scoundrel  by  his  side  said  there  were  full 
sixty. 

"  Gasparoni's  head-quarters  were  at  Sonnino,  where  his  wife  and 
children  resided,  and  where  the  whole  population  were  devoted  to  him. 
This  town  had  obtained  so  evil  a  reputation  that  on  his  surrender  the 
Pope  made  a  great  effort  to  get  it  rased  to  the  ground,  but  could  not  get 
the  assent  of  the  proprietor.  I  was  interested  by  learning  from  him  that 
the  haunts  he  chiefly  occupied  for  the  purpose  of  observing  the  road 
were  the  three  little  towns  perched  on  the  rock,  and  shining  like  silver, 
Cora,  Norma,  and  Sermoneta,  which  had  so  much  attracted  my  admira- 
tion when  I  was  at  Appii  Forum.  He  told  me  that  he  had  spent  a 
large  proportion  of  his  plunder  upon  spies  at  Rome,  by  whom  he  was 
made  acquainted  with  the  plans  designed  for  his  capture,  and  who  also 
told  him  what  persons  coming  along  the  road  were  worth  catchintr  ;  if 
emissaries  were  sent  for  the  purpose  of  entrapping  him,  he  was  fore- 
warned, and  the  vengeance  he  took  on  them  was  terrible.  He  crucified 
one  of  these  men,  and  wrote  underneath,  'Thus  Gasparoni  treats  all 
spies.'  He  cut  out  the  heart  and  liver  of  another,  and  sent  them  back  to 
the  man's  widow. 

"  If  any  persons  in  the  towns  were  active  against  him  he  always  found 
means  to  punish  them.  If  their  offence  was  not  very  deep,  they  received 
a  letter  ordering  them  to  pay  on  a  certain  day,  at  a  certain  place,  1000 
or  2000  scudi ;  and  such  was  the  terror  of  his  name  that  these  demands 
were  generally  obeyed.  Some  of  the  magistrates  in  the  strong  town  of 
Terracina,  thinking  themselves  secure  within  their  walls,  ventured  to 
incur  his  displeasure.  Soon  after  the  boys  of  the  chief  school,  while 
taking  a  walk  near  the  gates,  were  surprised  by  him  and  his  men,  and 
carried  away  to  the  mountains  ;  and  a  message  was  sent  to  the  parents  of 
almost  all,  fixing  the  amount  of  ransom,  upon  the  payment  of  which  they 
were  restored.  But  the  children  of  those  who  had  exasperated  him 
were  not  allowed  to  escape,  their  heads  were  sent  back  in  a  sack.  Of 
the  truth  of  this  dreadful  story  there  can  be  no  doubt.  A  friend  of  mine 
asked  Gasparoni  about  it;  he  admitted  that  he  had  seized  the  children, 
but  said  nothing  about  the  murders.  The  gentleman  said  to  him,  '  I 
have  heard  more  than  this ;  1  have  been  told  you  cut  off  the  heads  of 
three  of  them.'  '  It  is  false,'  said  Gasparoni,  '  it  was  but  two.' 


1840.]  GASPARONI.  413 

"  Mr.  Jones,  the  banker  here,  told  rne  that  last  October  he  saw  a  man 
who  had  been  one  of  this  party  of  boys,  and  who  described  to  him  the 
whole  scene  of  their  capture  and  of  their  residence  in  a  cavern  among 
the  mountains.  This  man  actually  saw  Gasparoni  plunge  his  knife  into 
the  body  of  his  two  victims.  Mr.  Jones  also  told  us  that  he  had 
travelled  through  the  country  where  Gasparoni  and  his  men  used  to  hide 
themselves ;  but  such  was  still  the  terror  of  his  name,  and  the  painful 
associations  connected  with  it,  that  he  could  not  get  respectable  persons 
to  speak  on  the  subject,  nor  could  he  prevail  upon  any  one  to  be  his 
guide  to  their  cavern.  The  person  who  when  a  boy  had  been  carried 
to  the  mountains  was  the  most  communicative.  As  Mr.  Jones  was 
walking  with  him  on  a  little  terrace  adjacent  to  the  walls  of  Terraeina, 
he  stopped  at  the  corner  of  a  wall  and  said,  '  Such  a  one,  an  officer  of 
the  town,  had  rambled  thus  far  at  mid-day ;  Gasparoni  sprang  out  of 
that  hedge,  struck  him  with  his  knife,  and  here  he  fell  dead.' 

"  You  must  know  that  Gasparoni,  according  to  his  own  account,  was 
especially  merciful.  He  protested  that  he  had  never  murdered  merely 
from  the  love  of  blood  ;  but  he  seemed  to  think  there  was  no  harm  in 
killing,  and  admitted  that  he  had  killed  many  who  came  as  spies  to  entrap 
him,  or  who  presumed  to  make  resistance.  Rumour  says,  however,  that 
he  was  by  no  means  so  squeamish.  A  friend  of  mine  came  up  to  a  diligence 
which  had  just  been  plundered,  and  found  that  the  whole  party,  includ- 
ing several  priests,  had  all  been  wounded,  although  none  of  them  mor- 
tally. They  said  that  the  first  intimation  they  had  of  their  danger  was 
a  volley  from  the  whole  gang,  and  my  friend  took  out  of  the  lining  of 
the  carriage  a  whole  handful  of  shot  of  all  sizes. 

"  It  is  odd  enough  that  Gasparoni  is  very  religious  now ;  he  fasts  not 
only  on  Friday,  but  adds  a  supererogatory  Saturday.  He  told  me  that 
he  repented  of  his  former  life ;  but  what  it  was  he  regretted  I  could  not 
well  make  out,  for  he  expressly  justified  the  occasions  in  which  he  had 
proceeded  to  extremities  with  spies  or  travellers  who  resisted  him.  But 
curious  as  his  theology  now  is,  it  is  still  more  strange  that,  according  to 
his  own  account,  he  was  always  a  very  religious  man.  I  asked  him 
whether  he  had  fasted  when  he  was  a  bandit  ?  He  said,  '  Yes.'  '  Why 
did  you  fast  ? '  said  I.  '  Perche  sono  della  religione  della  Madonna.1 
'  Which  did  you  think  was  worst,  eating  meat  on  a  Friday  or  killing  a 
man  ?  '  He  answered  without  hesitation,  '  In  my  case  it  w  as  a  crime  not 
to  fast,  it  was  no  crime  to  kill  those  who  came  to  betray  me.'  With  all 
his  present  religion,  however,  he  told  the  Mayor  of  the  town  the  other 
day,  that  if  he  got  loose  tho  first  thing  he  would  do  would  be  to  cut  the 
throats  of  all  the  priests :  and  the  Mayor  said  in  this  he  perfectly  believed 
him,  and  if  he  were  now  to  break  out  he  would  be  ten  times  worse  than 
ever.  One  fact,  however,  shows  some  degree  of  scrupulosity.  The 


414  GASPARONI.  [CHAP.  xxix. 

people  of  the  country  bear  testimony  that  he  never  committed  murder 
on  a  Friday ! 

"  The  Mayor  said  the  only  good  thing  he  ever  knew  him  really  do 
was  this :  he  took  an  Austrian  officer  and  his  newly  married  bride  and 
carried  them  up  to  the  hills.  His  gang  stripped  her  of  all  her  clothes 
and  proposed  to  kill  her,  but  this  he  resisted,  and  ultimately  sent  her 
and  her  husband  back  in  safety.  It  is  some  deduction  from  his  humanity 
on  this  occasion  to  hear,  as  I  did  from  another  quarter,  that  the  Austrian 
general,  hearing  of  the  capture,  sent  word  to  Gasparoni  that  if  any  injury 
was  done  to  his  officer,  or  if  he  was  not  directly  restored,  he  would  send 
4000  men  against  him,  who  should  be  quartered  in  the  village,  and  on 
his  friends,  till  he  should  be  taken. 

"  Gasparoni  told  me  that  he  had  never  taken  an  Englishman  to  the 
mountains.  I  asked  him  why  ?  rather  expecting  that  he  would  reply 
with  some  gross  flummery,  but  he  answered  very  simply,  '  Because  I 
never  had  the  luck  to  catch  one ! '  He  assured  me  that  he  had  not  in  all 
taken  above  fifteen  or  twenty  persons  to  the  hills ;  but  the  current 
report  makes  the  number  upwards  of  two  hundred.  From  these  he  was 
inexorable  in  extorting  the  precise  sum  that  he  fixed  upon  as  their  ran- 
som. It  is  well  known  that  he  obtained  from  a  Neapolitan  nobleman, 
who  is  still  living,  4000  scudi.  The  Mayor  told  me  that  an  intimate 
friend  of  his  was  captured  by  him,  and  the  sum  demanded  was  his  weight 
in  silver ;  his  friends,  being  unable  to  pay  this,  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight 
received  his  head  neatly  packed  up  in  a  basket !  All,  however,  who 
did  return,  bear  testimony  to  their  good  fare  and  to  his  good  humour, 
and  his  courtly  and  somewhat  delicate  conduct,  while  they  were  his 
guests  in  the  cavern. 

"  One  incident  which  was  related  to  me  is  in  part  attested  by  many 
living  witnesses.  A  wedding  was  celebrated  in  a  part  of  the  country  at 
some  distance  from  his  haunt.  When  dinner  was  placed  on  the  table, 
a  man  fully  armed,  but  unknown  to  the  guests,  stalked  in  and  seated 
himself  by  the  side  of  the  bride,  with  a  kind  of  trumpet  between  his 
knees.  The  guests,  somewhat  startled,  showed  little  disposition  to  eat; 
and  the  bridegroom  told  the  intruder  that  '  it  was  not  usual  for  a  stranger 
to  take  the  post  he  occupied.'  He  replied,  '  I  am  no  stranger,  I  am 
Gasparoni.  I  am  a  friend  to  the  bride ;  eat,  and  be  at  your  ease,  or 
you  will  make  me  her  enemy.'  It  is  said  his  terrible  name  rather 
quenched  the  merriment  and  appetite  of  the  party.  At  length  Gaspa- 
roni sounded  his  horn ;  two  troops  came  rushing  down  the  hill  and 
seized  the  bride,  Gasparoni  saying,  '  I  told  you  I  was  her  friend,  and  I 
show  it  by  taking  her  away  with  me.'  It  would  be  well  if  the  story 
stopped  here,  but  it  is  said  that  she  was  afterwards  murdered. 

"  You  will  wish  to  know  how  he  was  taken:    he  became   such  a 


0.]  CAPTURE  OF  GASPARONI.  415 

nuisance  that,  partly  from  the  strength  of  the  military  parties  which 
were  constantly  sent  in  pursuit  of  him,  and  partly  from  the  diminution 
of  traffic  on  the  road,  his  funds  became  short,  and  he  could  not  pay  his 
spies.  The  Government  then  took  the  decisive  measure  of  seizing  all 
his  relations  and  friends,  and  those  who  supplied  him  with  food  and 
ammunition  ;  in  other  words,  the  whole  population  of  Sonnino.  Without 
money  and  half  starved,  unable  to  obtain  intelligence,  and  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  troops,  he  was  on  the  point  of  being  captured,  when  he 
listened  to  the  proposals  of  a  priest,  who,  as  it  is  said,  went  beyond  the 
authority  given  him,  and  offered  him  a  full  pardon  and  a  pension,  upon 
which  he  and  his  comrades  surrendered  ;  and  hence  it  was  that  I  had 
the  opportunity  of  seeing  him,  surrounded  by  twenty-one  ruffians,  the 
remainder  of  his  band.  I  asked  him  which  of  them  was  the  man  he 
chiefly  trusted;  in  other  words,  who  was  his  lieutenant?  he  answered, 
'  My  gun  only  was  my  lieutenant ;  that  never  failed  to  obey  me.' 

"  He  complains  loudly  of  the  violation  of  the  promise  made  to  him, 
and  still  seems  to  dream  of  being  liberated.  He  was  the  son  of  a  herds- 
man, and  cannot  read  or  write;  but  his  little  demon-like  executioner 
who  stood  by  his  side  is  said  to  be  a  tolerable  scholar.  He  amuses 
himself  by  making  caps,  of  which  I  bought  three.  I  have  hardly  done 
justice  to  his  appearance  :  he  is  greatly  superior  in  this  respect  to  those 
around  him.  He  has  the  air  of  a  chieftain,  and  though  his  look  is  very 
commanding  there  is  something  far  from  unpleasing  in  his  face;  it  is 
decidedly  handsome  in  features,  but  the  expression  also  is  gentle  and  in- 
tellectual. While  speaking  with  me  he  looked  me  full  in  the  face  the 
whole  time.  I  told  him  that  I  intended  to  have  his  likeness  taken  for  a 
particular  purpose,  of  which  you  shall  know  more  another  time.  He 
said  he  had  no  objection.  I  told  him  that  the  painter  would  not  be 
able  to  come  for  some  time.  '  No  matter,'  said  he,  '  let  him  suit  him- 
self, he  will  always  find  me  at  home.' 

"  It  is  quite  astonishing  how  much  terror  was  attached  to  his  name. 
One  proof  of  its  surviving  even  to  this  time  I  witnessed  when  I  was 
shooting  at  Appii  Forum  ;  for  at  the  distance  of  every  three  or  four 
miles  on  the  road  there  were  military  stations  or  huts,  in  some  of  w  hich 
they  still  keep  soldiers. 

"  By  this  time  I  think  you  must  be  pretty  sick  of  robber  stories. 
But  I  must  inflict  on  you  one  more. 

"  An  Englishman  arrived  here  this  year  who  could  scarcely  speak  a 
word  of  Italian.  He  heard,  of  course,  not  a  little  about  assassins,  rob- 
bers, and  such  like,  and  prudently  resolved  never  to  go  alone,  and  never 
to  be  out  after  dusk.  Both  these  resolutions  were  fated  to  fail.  He 
dined  with  a  friend  near  Rome  and  was  obliged  to  walk  home  alone  the 
same  night :  this  looked  terrific  before  dinner  ;  but  a  few  glasses  of 


416  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  POPE.  [CHAP.  xxix. 

Marsala  and  a  few  more  of  Champagne  braced  up  his  courage,  and  away 
he  started  about  ten  o'clock.  As  he  walked  briskly  along  in  the  dark- 
ness he  came  full  butt  against  a  man.  He  was  startled,  and  the  tales  he 
had  heard  recurred  to  his  recollection  ;  but  the  man  passed  on,  and  in  a 
short  time  our  hero  felt  for  his  watch  and  found  that  it  was  gone.  Then 
the  good  wine  came  into  play :  he  rushed  back,  seized  the  rascal,  and 
vehemently  demanded  '  Montre !  Montre ! '  The  robber  trembled,  and 
reluctantly  yielded  up  the  watch. 

"  On  reaching  home  he  recounted,  with  no  little  exultation,  his  heroic 
exploit,  and  vowed  that,  if  the  rest  of  the  world  would  behave  as  he  had 
done,  robbery  would  cease  in  Rome  in  a  fortnight.  When  he  had 
finished  his  oration  his  sister  said,  '  All  this  is  very  strange  ;  for  after 
you  went  out  I  saw  your  watch  hanging  in  your  room,  and  there  it  is 
now.'  Sure  enough  there  it  was.  So  it  appeared,  past  all  dispute,  that, 
instead  of  being  robbed,  he  had  himself  committed  a  robbery  !" 

TO  EDWARD  N.  BUXTOX,  ESQ. 

"  March  9. 

"  I  do  not  recollect  that  I  ever  read  a  paper  which  gave  me  more 
thorough  satisfaction  than  Lord  John's  letter  about  the  slave-trade. 

"  The  project  of  overturning  the  slave-trade  by  civilisation,  Chris- 
tianity, and  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  is  no  longer  in  my  hands:  the 
Government  have  adopted  the  principle  and  taken  the  task  upon  them- 
selves ;  and  if  it  fail  for  want  of  energetic  working,  they  are  to  blame. 
In  short,  I  feel  much  more  a  gentleman  at  large  than  I  did  before  I  read 
that  letter.  Pray  tell  all  this  to  Lushington.  I  should  be  the  most  un- 
grateful of  men  if  I  whispered  a  complaint  of  not  having  heard  from 
him  for  some  little  time.  He  has  been  most  generous  in  writing ;  but 
I  hunger  for  one  more  letter  from  him,  to  be  received  by  me  at  Naples, 
to  cheer  me  on  my  journey  homeward,  and  to  give  me  a  clear  understand- 
ing how  matters  stand. 

"  Yesterday  we  went  to  the  Palatine  Hill ;  we  saw  where  the  house 
of  Romulus  stood,  and  that  of  Numa,  and  the  Temple  of  Vesta,  and  the 
old  Senate  House  of  Tullus  Hostilius,  all  grouped  together  in  the  little 
vale  below  us;  and  close  by  there  were  the  Coliseum,  and  the  Forum, 
and  a  grove  of  pillars,  and  a  swarm  of  temples.  *  *  * 

"  To-day  I  have  been  in  the  house  of  the  heir  of  the  Caesars  and  the 
successor  of  St.  Peter.  The  Pope  is  a  civil,  lively  little  gentleman. 
Our  party  consisted  of  the  Hanoverian  Ambassador,  Baron  Kesner ;  a 
Danish  Count  just  returned  from  the  Holy  Land  ;  an  English  officer  ; 
Richards,  in  Kesner's  court  dress;  Fowell,  Charles,  and  myself.  He 
gave  us  an  audience  of  upwards  of  three-quarters  of  an  hour. 

"  He  was  very  inquisitive  to  know  what  I  thought  of  the  Roman 


1840.]  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  POPE.  417 

prisons.  Kcsncr  (who  understands  neither  English  nor  Italian)  inter- 
preted  for  us,  and  I  heard  him  say  for  me  rather  more  than  I  liked  of 
'  contentissimo.'  This  was  not  exactly  what  I  wanted  to  express  ;  so  I 
referred  to  Richards,  and  desired  him  to  speak  for  me.  I  praised 
everything  I  could  think  of  which  deserved  commendation  ;  such  as 
the  Chancellor  of  the  Gaols  (Signor  Neri),  the  Boys'  Prison,  the  San 
Michele  Hospital,  and  the  liberality  of  the  Government  in  giving  me 
free  access  and  full  information ;  to  all  of  which  he  very  gracefully 
replied,  that,  if  gentlemen  from  motives  of  benevolence  took  the  trouble 
to  visit  their  institutions,  the  least  he  could  do  was  to  afford  facilities, 
furnish  documents,  and  listen  attentively  to  every  suggestion. 

"  Well,  having  praised  wherever  I  could,  I  gently  intimated  that  the 
Roman  gaols  in  general  wanted  a  good  deal  of  purification  ;  and  that  I 
felt  bound  in  honesty  to  tell  him  that  two,  namely,  the  female  prison  of 
San  Michele,  and  the  great  gaol  of  Civita  Vecchia,  were  to  the  last 
degree  bad ;  and  called  aloud  on  those  who  are  influenced,  whether  by 
policy,  humanity,  or  religion,  for  a  thorough  reformation.  To  all  this 
he  seemed  very  attentive  and  well  disposed.  We  then  had  a  long 
conversation  about  the  slave-trade  and  slavery.  He  seemed  not  a  little 
proud  of  what  he  had  done,  and  I  told  him  of  the  satisfaction  which  his 
Bull  had  given  in  England  on  the  score  of  the  slave-trade,  at  which  it 
was  pointed;  and  also  with  reference  to  slavery  and  the  mal-treatment 
of  Aborigines,  which  it  indirectly  hit.  He  called  the  slave-trade  an 
infamous  traffic,  said  that  charity  was  the  soul  of  religion,  and  that, 
whilst  forbidding  all  cruelty,  it  expressly  prohibited  that  which  was 
inflicted  on  the  human  race ;  and  he  concluded  with  saying,  and  laugh- 
ing loud  at  his  own  speech,  '  Thanks  to  me,  if  you  please,  but  no 
thanks  to  Portugal.'  In  short  he  expressed  himself  capitally.  Having 
disposed  of  my  own  two  pets,  Prisons  and  Slave  Trade,  I  felt  constrained 
to  put  in  a  word  relative  to  some  atrociously  cruel  practices  here,  in  the 
treatment  of  lambs  by  the  butchers.  He  hardly  seemed  ripe  for  this  ; 
but  Richards  stuck  to  it  manfully  :  and  the  matter  ended  by  my  giving 

him  A 's  paper  on  the  subject,  and  his  promising  to  give  it  his  best 

consideration." 

"  Thus,  very  amicably,  ended  our  interview,  and  we  proceeded  to 


*  Some  months  afterwards  Mr.  Buxton  heard  that  his  representations  on 
this  subject  had  been  attended  to.  He  wrote  to  Miss  Gurney,  through  whom 
the  news  reached  him,  "  I  must  thank  you  for  your  letter  about  the  Pope 
and  the  lambs ;  it  really  was  an  achievement.  I  never  see  one  galloping 
about  a  field  now  without  thinking  of  the  benefactress  of  lambs.  What  a 
thing  it  is  to  have  rescued  such  a  multitude  from  torture  !  I  do  believe  there 
is  much  good  in  Pope  Gregory  after  all ;  it  is  capital  when  great  people  will 
respond  to  good  advice." 

2   E 


418  EXCURSION  TO  TIVOLI.  [CHAP.  xxix. 

Cardinal  Lambruschini,  the  chief  secretary  of  state,  where  we  had  as 
gracious  a  reception,  and  we  repeated  much  that  we  had  stated  to  the 
Pope.  To-morrow  we  go  to  Tivoli." 

"  March  19. 

"I  have  been  employed  of  late  in  preparing  my  report 'about  the 
prisons  for  the  Pope,  and  in  having  it  translated  into  Italian.  To- 
morrow morning  Lord  Meath,  Lord  de  Mauley,  Lord  Farnham,  and  two 
or  three  others,  meet  here  to  have  it  read  to  them,  and  I  hope  to  get 
it  completed  and  presented  before  I  go  to  Naples. 

"  Trew  tells  me  that  the  book  is  published  ;  and  I  have  seen  it  adver- 
tised in  the  newspapers.  If  you  wish  to  know  what  feeling  in  our 
minds  this  intelligence  has  called  forth,  turn  to  the  90th  Psalm,  17th 
verse,  Prayer-Book  version.*  If  it  were  not  that  we  have  good  reason 
for  assuring  ourselves  of  His  aid  who  can  make  all  things  bend  to  His 
will,  we  should  think  any  hope  for  Africa,  after  so  many  centuries  of 
such  deep  debasement,  chimerical  in  the  last  degree.  As  it  is,  we  are 
in  right  good  heart,  and  feel  that,  however  the  instruments  may  err  or 
fail,  the  great  Actor  and  Leader  will  give  the  victory  to  His  own 
work. 

"  On  Wednesday  last,  after  some  hesitation  on  account  of  the  weather, 
all  our  party  started  for  Tivoli  ;  the  distance  about  twenty  miles,  which 
was  increased  three  or  four  more  I  suppose  by  going  round  by  Hadrian's 
villa.  About  eleven  o'clock  the  day  cleared  up,  and  was  beautifully 
fine,  without  being  too  hot.  Hadrian  certainly  chose  a  noble  situation 
for  his  country-house  ;  and  the  remains  are  so  perfect  that  one  can  see 
with  some  degree  of  certainty  where  he  slept,  where  he  dined,  and  how 
he  managed  things  generally.  Strewed  about  his  grounds,  in  various 
directions,  are  his  imitations  of  all  the  edifices  in  Greece  and  elsewhere 
which  were  celebrated  in  his  day.  He  had  travelled  a  great  deal,  and, 
instead  of  taking  a  picture,  as  we  do,  of  what  he  admired,  he  built  it 
over  again. 

"  We  then  proceeded  to  Tivoli ;  ordered  our  dinner,  and  took  the 
smaller  excursion,  in  order  to  see  the  water-falls  ;  which  would  be  very 
fine  if  the  people  would  let  them  alone.  But,  as  in  England  we  some- 
times see  pains  taken  to  make  artificial  cascades  look  natural,  so  here, 
at  great  cost,  they  have  contrived  to  give  a  spruce  artificial  air  to  the 
work  of  nature.  As  we  went  along  the  ridge  of  the  hill  opposite  the 
town,  the  river  created  by  the  water-falls  being  between  us  and  it,  we 
saw  the  spot  where  Horace  must  have  drawn  the  landscape ;  the  noisy 
Albunea  was  no  other  than^the  Sibyl  herself,  and  her  temple  stood  in 


*  "  Prosper  thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us,  O  prosper  thou  our  handy- 
work." 


1840.]  EXCURSION  TO  TIVOLT.  419 

the  inn-yard  we  had  quitted.  The  '  praeceps  Anio  '  made  himself  known 
in  accents  so  intelligible  as  almost  to  deafen  us.  We  were  in  the 
Tiburtine  grove,  and  the  '  uda  mobilibus  pomaria  rivis  '  was  a  sketch  to 
the  very  life;  some  forty  minor  water-falls  were  throwing  their  spray 
over  the  fruit-trees  scattered  among  them.  I,  too,  as  well  as  Horace, 
should  wish  for  no  better  resting-place  for  my  old  age,  provided  there 
were  no  malaria,  and  that  all  the  people  could  be  taught  to  speak 
English.  Some  of  the  party  slept  at  Tivoli,  and  went  the  next  day 
to  Horace's  farm,  where,  they  say,  no  lady  has  been  for  the  last  ten 
years." 

"  March  20. 

"  The  weather  has  now  become  chilly  and  boisterous.  I  am  glad  we 
are  not  at  Naples.  To-day  the  parties  I  spoke  of  have  read  and  ap- 
proved my  Prison  Report,  and  we  went  to  Prince  Borghese  to  urge 
him  to  take  up  the  subject  of  prison  discipline.  Afterwards,  by  way  of 
recreation,  Richards  and  I  went  to  explore  two  palaces.  The  day  was 
dark,  and  I  did  not  take  much  to  the  pictures,  but  in  the  corner  of  the 
garden  of  the  Colonna  Palace  there  stood  what  was  merely  the  frieze  (or 
rather  a  bit  of  it)  of  the  temple  which  Heliogabulus  erected  to  his  divine 
self.  This  bit  of  ornament  consisted  of  two  fragments  of  marble,  of 
astonishing  magnitude,  and  curiously  carved.  What  must  the  temple 
have  been,  judging  it  by  this  minor  part  ?  and  what  has  become  of 
the  rest  of  the  edifice  ?  and  what  a  magnificent  people  these  Romans 
were !  their  works,  indeed,  were  wonderful.  But,  after  all,  the  reflec- 
tion which  most  naturally  presents  itself  to  my  mind  when  I  look  at 
such  gigantic  ruins,  turns  in  this  direction — here  is  deathless  fame  !  here 
immortal  glory  !  here  the  proudest  monuments  of  the  great !  and  this  is 
all  that  remains  of  them. — But  I  am  sure  it  is  time  to  say  good  night, 
or  I  and  my  amanuensis  shall  terminate  our  descriptions  in  a  gentle 
slumber." 

"  March,  1840. 

"  On  Friday  we  started  with  a  large  party,  the  Foxes,  Lord  de 
Mauley,  Captain  Back,  Captain  Franks,  and  Mr.  Silvertop,  for  Veii, 
the  great  enemy  of  Rome  in  her  early  existence.  We  saw  the  place 
where  the  whole  family  of  the  Fabii,  three  hundred  in  number,  were 
put  to  the  sword.  It  is  in  a  very  beautiful  country,  and  the  land, 
though  very  rich,  hardly  cultivated  at  all.  We  were  told  that  in  grow- 
ing wheat  in  England  one  bushel  produces  seven  ;  in  this  territory  one 
bushel  produces  thirty-two,  and  yet  there  was  hardly  any  land  under 
the  plough.  *  *  * 

"  On  Saturday  the  Chancellor  Neri  called  upon  me,  bringing  four 
splendid  medallions  as  a  present  from  Cardinal  Tosti,  given  as  a  memorial 
of  my  visit  to  his  Institution  for  old  people  and  orphans,  and  to  the 


420  A  DEBTOR  LIBERATED.  [CHAP.  xxix. 

prison  annexed  to  it.  I  am  afraid  I  shall  soon  grow  somewhat  conceited, 
for  I  never  before  was  treated  with  so  much  distinction  as  at  Rome. 
Not  only  the  English,  but  the  Italians,  have  paid  me  all  manner  of 
civilities.  I  am  pleased  to  have  got  these  medals,  yet  it  is  somewhat 
awkward,  as  in  return  I  shall  have  soundly  to  abuse  the  said  prison, 
which  is  the  worst  I  have  seen  in  Rome.  In  the  afternoon  I  walked 
with  Mr.  Ellison,  and  saw  some  splendid  views  of  the  city,  particularly 
of  the  Coliseum.  We  went  into  the  garden  of  the  Armenian  College ; 
the  monks  of  that  persuasion  come  from  Mount  Libanus  and  talk  Syriac. 
I  was  much  struck  with  the  beauty  of  their  cast  of  countenance  ;  they 
told  me  that  their  own  country  was  pre-eminently  fertile,  and  the  climate 
most  healthy,  but  that  terrible  insecurity  prevailed :  few,  they  said,  die 
by  disease,  multitudes  by  the  knife.  *  *  * 

"  I  do  not  think  I  can  fish  up  another  morsel  of  Roman  news  for  you, 
unless  you  may  like  to  hear  of  one  of  our  acts  in  visiting  the  prisons. 
When  we  went  among  the  debtors  we  were  desirous  of  giving  them 
some  relief,  for  they  were  sufficiently  wretched  ;  but  where  was  the 
use  of  scattering  a  few  shillings  amongst  them  to  be  spent  in  drink  ?  In 
this  dilemma,  Lord  De  Mauley  suggested  that  we  should  select  some 
deserving  man  and  liberate  him,  and  we  found  a  subject  exactly  suited  to 
our  purpose,  in  the  shape  of  a  sensible-looking  tailor,  with  a  wife  and 
ten  children ;  who,  just  as  his  harvest  was  beginning,  and  as  he  was 
anticipating  a  flood  of  gold  from  the  produce  of  his  needle  in  preparing 
for  the  Carnival,  was  clapped  into  gaol  by  a  malicious  creditor  for 
21.  10s.,  with  the  certainty  of  remaining  there  for  a  year  and  a  day.  For 
this  'ninth  part  of  a  man'  we  sent,  told  him  our  whim,  and  ordered 
him  to  begone.  After  a  most  loving  and  graceful  kiss  of  our  hands 
away  he  started,  the  happiest  tailor  in  the  Roman  dominions." 

"March  25. 

"  We  have  had  several  stinging  cold  days,  and  at  this  moment,  and 
for  the  last  hour,  it  has  been  snowing  as  hard  as  ever  I  saw  it  do  in 
England.  This  morning  the  boys  and  girls  set  off  for  Grotta  Ferrata, 
to  see  a  Roman  fair  in  the  mountains,  about  eleven  miles  distant ;  but 
they  very  discreetly  returned  when  the  snow  began.  I  am  very  proud 
to  say  that,  after  a  fortnight's  very  cold  ami  treacherous  weather,  and  a 
great  deal  of  wind,  my  dear  wife  is  perfectly  well;  for  which  we  ought 
to  be,  and  are,  very  thankful. 

"  I  protest  at  this  moment  the  boys  are  erecting  a  gig-antic  snow  man 
in  the  court  before  us,  and  the  material  is  coming  down  merrily.  Our 
intention  had  been  to  start  for  Naples  on  Monday,  but  the  report  is 
current  that  we  are  going  to  war  with  the  Neapolitans  upon  the  sulphur 
question.  I  do  not  believe  a  word  of  it,  but  as  I  have  no  taste  for  the 


18-10.]  REPORT  ON  THE  PRISONS  OF  ROME.  421 

possibility  of  being  cannonaded  by  our  own  fleet,  and  pillaged  by  the 
insurgent  mobility  of  Naples,  we  shall  probably  keep  away  from  that 
town  lor  a  few  days  till  we  hear  the  truth.  The  worst  of  this  is,  that  I 
fear  my  letters  arc  gone  there,  and  I  am  hungry  for  news  of  my 
bairns  and  my  book.  In  our  way  to  Naples  we  are  going  to  visit  the 
recesses  of  the  mountains,  till  very  recently  the  dens  and  fastnesses  of 
the  banditti.  I  understand  that,  although  it  is  a  charming  country,  it  is 
seldom  visited,  save  and  except  by  those  who  were  carried  there  by  the 
robbers,  and  who  probably  at  that  moment  did  not  pay  much  attention 
to  the  picturesque.  Ripping! lie  goes  with  us;  so,  I  believe,  does  Sir 
George  Back.  II.  and  A.  will  wait  for  us  upon  the  road,  but  all  the 
young  and  foolish  of  our  party  will  go  to  the  hills,  and  a  wild  romantic 
excursion  we  expect  to  have.  I  sent  my  Report  on  the  Prisons  and 
Institutions  of  Rome  to  one  of  our  Italian  friends  who  had  visited  them 
with  me,  and  asked  him  to  sign  it.  His  hair  stood  on  end  at  the  bare 
idea  of  this  proposal.  '  What !'  said  he  to  the  gentleman  who  took  the 
Report  to  him,  '  am  I  to  concur  in  telling  my  Government  the  plain  truth  ? 
Am  I  in  the  plainest  manner  to  expose  the  errors  and  evils  of  their  system  ? 
There  is  not  a  Roman  subject  in  the  whole  state  who  dares  with  the  most 
cautious  circumlocution  to  hint  a  fiftieth  part  of  what  Mr.  Buxton  states 
to  them  of  their  mistakes.  He  speaks  as  plainly  as  if  he  was  speaking  to 
his  brother  !  I  see  how  it  is  ;  Mr.  Buxton  thinks  he  is  in  England,  and 
he  has  no  notion  that  there  is  any  harm  in  telling  the  Government  that 
they  ought  to  be  all  hanged.  But  we  live  under  a  different  sky. 
Speaking  plain  truth  to  the  authorities  is  quite  an  unheard-of  thing  at 
Rome  ;  and  any  one  who  ventured  on  so  unpalatable  a  task  would 
assuredly  be  ruined.*  The  Government,  when  they  admitted  him, 
never  dreamt  that  he  would  venture  to  find  fault.  He  was  expected  to 
•see  a  little,  and  compliment  a  great  deal ;  and  there  the  matter  was  to 
end.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  if  I  had  known  that  this  kind  of  search- 
ing inquiry  was  intended,  I  should  not  have  dared  to  accompany  him.' 
Much  more  of  the  same  kind  followed,  and  it  appears  clear  enough 
that  the  Government  will  stare  terribly  when  they  read  my  Report, 
although  its  chief  defect  is  that  it  is  too  complimentary. 

"  There  are  a  good  many  double  snipes  here  at  this  time.  We  had 
two  for  dinner  yesterday,  and  I  dare  say  Aubin  will  shoot  some  to-day. 
Some  time  between  the  15th  of  April  and  the  10th  of  May  there  is  a 
most  wonderful  inroad  of  quails,  and  the  whole  country  turns  out  against 
them.  Sir  Thomas  Cullum  told  me  that  on  the  2nd  of  May,  two  or 


*  The  head  of  one  of  the  Institutions  informed  Mr.  Buxton  that  the  letter 
he  had  received  from  the  Government,  directing  him  to  throw  the  Institution 
open  to  his  inspection,  contained  these  expressive  words,  "  show  him  every- 
thing, but  with  due  caution." 


422  SEVERE  ILLNESS.  [CHAP.  xxix. 

three  years  ago,  he  found  upon  inquiry  that  duty  had  been  paid  on 
80,000.  Pretty  well  for  one  day  !  And  I  remember  that  an  officer 
who  during  the  war  was  quartered  upon  the  coast,  told  me  that  the 
ordinary  ration  of  a  common  soldier  was  six  quails  a- day.  I  rather  hope 
to  have  one  day's  shooting  at  the  fellows.  *  *  *  The  snow  is  now 
melted,  but  it  is  cloudy." 

At  this  juncture  Mr.  Buxton  was  attacked  by  very  serious 
indisposition,  in  which  his  breathing  was  for  the  first  time  pain- 
fully affected.  He  was,  however,  well  enough  to  write,  on  the 
1st  of  April,  to  Mrs.  Edward  Buxton  and  Mrs.  Johnston. 

"  My  dearest  Daughters, — I  think  you  will  like  to  have  a  few  lines 
from  myself  on  my  birthday.  I  make  little  doubt  that  your  affectionate 
anxiety  has  exaggerated  my  late  indisposition,  and  that  you  will  be 
looking  out  eagerly  for  the  post.  I  am  better.  I  am  positive  upon  that 
point.  I  am  also  sure  that  I  have  been  very  unwell,  and  that  I  have 
been  nursed  with  the  most  loving  care.  There  ends  all  my  certainty.  I 
have  no  clear  notion  what  my  malady  has  been ;  I  have  had  next  to  no 
fever ;  very  little  of  what,  correctly  speaking,  can  be  called  pain  ; 
and,  I  believe,  not  much  danger:  but,  on  the  other  hand,  I  have  suf- 
fered a  great  deal  from  weariness,  from  headache,  from  want  of  sleep, 
and  from  great  difficulty  of  breathing. 

"  The  result  is  that,  as  Dryden  says, 

'  The  thin  chilled  blood  is  curdled  in  my  veins, 
And  scarce  a  shadow  of  the  man  remains.' 

*  *  *  But  really  when  I  began  my  letter  I  had  no  intention  of 
speaking  to  you  about  this  trumpery.  I  wanted  to  tell  you  that  I  am, 
I  believe,  decidedly  on  the  mend  ;  that  my  birthday  has  been  far  from 
an  unpleasant  one,  and  that  I  look  upon  this  illness  as  one  of  my  many 
mercies. 

"  As  soon  as  I  felt  that  I  was  in  for  a  bout,  I  remembered  Andrew's 
capital  observation,  '  Begin  at  once  to  prepare  for  the  worst,  act  as  if 
you  foresaw  it  would  be  fatal,  set  your  house  in  order.'  In  some  slight 
measure,  and  no  more,  I  have  been  able  to  do  this,  and  have  realised 
the  scene  which,  if  we  escape  it  now,  must  soon  occur.  One  cannot  be 
too  thankful  for  this  kind  of  warning,  and  for  the  plainness  with  which, 
after  preaching  to  us  upon  the  prodigious  difference  between  things 
temporal  and  things  eternal,  it  says,  with  all  emphasis,  '  Set  your  affec- 
tions on  things  above.'  That  is  the  way  that  it  gives  a  shake  and  a 
tumble  to  darling  objects  and  cherished  schemes,  and  says  to  us  peremp- 
torily, '  Away  with  such  trides,  there  is  no  time  for  them.'  " 

"April  '_>. 

"  I  got  so  fur  yesterday  when  my  wife  came  in  and  tyrannically  pro- 


1840.]  JOURNEY  TO  NAPLES.  423 

hibitcd  me  from  writing  another  word.  But  to-day  I  may  pronounce 
myself  decidedly  better.  All  my  most  important  enemies  are  subdued. 
What  remains  is  very  great  debility,  and  my  brace  of  doctors  talk  much 
about  a  constitution  '  vehemently  exhausted,'  and  seem  to  think  me,  at 
my  best,  good  for  little  more  than  to  read  a  newspaper  by  way  of  study, 
ride  three  miles  by  way  of  exercise,  and,  these  duties  performed,  to  spend 
the  rest  of  rny  time  in  pure  idleness. 

"  There  is,  and  always  has  ,been  to  me,  something  very  pleasant  in 
illness, — in  having  your  mother  nursing  me  all  day  and  all  night. 
*  *  *  There  is  no  poetry  like  that  of  the  Bible.  Where  can  we  find 
an  expression  so  forcible,  yet  so  exactly  just,  as  that  of  David  ? — '  His 
love  to  me  was  wonderful,  passing  the  love  of  women.'  *  *  *  Most 
women  are  capable  of  this  devoted  love,  but  then  there  is  often,  be  it 
spoken  with  reverence,  a  take-off,  or  a  drawback.  As  Sir  Walter  says, 
she  is  an  angel  in  the  hours  of  care  and  grief,  but 

'  in  hours  of  ease 
Uncertain,  coy,  and  hard  to  please ;' 

whereas  mine  is  not  better  on  special  occasions  than  in  the  every-day 
routine  of  affectionate  duty.  Every  one  has  been  most  agreeable,  affec- 
tionate, and  dutiful  :  the  girls  have  had  a  hard  time  of  it,  for  I  generally 
keep  them  reading  half  the  night." 

TO  EDWARD  N.  BUXTON,  ESQ. 

"  Mola  di  Gaeta,  one  day's  journey  from  Naples,  April  10,  1840. 

"  I  wrote  to  you  last  on  the  1st  of  April,  in  the  worst  of  my  illness- 
We  left  Rome  as  soon  as  I  was  able  to  move.  I  suffered  not  a  little  from 
exhaustion  in  going  up  stairs  at  Albano^but  I  have  been  improving  ever 
since,  and  am  now  nearly  as  well  as  ever.  *  *  * 

"  We  loitered  some  days  at  Albano,  and  then  proceeded  to  this  place 
by  very  slow  journeys  ;  judging  by  the  glimpses  which  we  have  occa- 
sionally had,  it  is  a  most  lovely  country,  but  cloud,  rain,  and  mist  have 
been  our  all  but  constant  companions.  There  is  now,  immediately  below 
us,  a  garden  covered  with  orange  and  lemon  trees,  looking  quite  yellowr 
with  the  fruit,  the  Mediterranean  beating  against  its  wall.  There,  to 
the  right,  jutting  into  the  sea,  is  the  town  of  Gaeta,  with  the  bold  hill 
which  joins  it  to  the  main  land.  To  the  left  are  Vesuvius  and  the  Bay 
of  Naples.  We  have  been  here  two  hours,  and  we  have  had  one 
walk  of  two  minutes.  We  hardly  know  what  kind  of  reception  we 
shall  meet  with  at  Naples,  as  we  have  learned  that  a  messenger  has 
gone  to  our  fleet  at  Malta,  ordering  it  up.  So  do  not  be  surprised 
if  you  happen  to  see  in  the  Gazette  that  the  girls  are  killed  by  can- 
non-balls on  the  battlements.  Our  plan  is,  at  all  events,  to  take  a 


424  JOURNEY  TO  NAPLES.  [CHAP.  xxix. 

peep  at  Naples,  and  to  be  off  again  in  a  moment  if  we  see  occasion 
for  it.  I  must  now  get  ready  ibr  dinner,  for  they  are  come  in  half- 
drowned. 

"  We  are  just  told  that  our  lives  would  not  be  worth  two-pence  apiece 
if  we  went  to  Naples  now. 

"  I  must  not  forget  to  tell  you  that  my  prison  labours  terminated  happily 
the  day  before  I  left  Rome.  My  Report  was  addressed  to  Cardinal 
Tosti,  and  it  seemed  to  us  rather  a  good  omen  that,  on  the  following  day, 
we  saw  his  carriage  standing  near  the  door  of  the  Prison  for  Females  ; 
and  before  my  departure  I  received  a  letter  from  him,  promising  in  the 
handsomest  manner  to  attend  to  my  suggestions,  and  thanking  me  for 
them. 

"  My  illness  alone  has  prevented  us  from  paying  a  visit  to  Sonnino, 
the  town  of  robbers.  As  you  enter  it,  I  am  told,  you  see  the  prison 
ornamented  with  fourteen  cages,  containing  the  heads  of  so  many  ban- 
dits ;  if  you  go  into  the  streets  and  speak  to  three  men,  the  chance  is 
that  one  out  of  the  number  has  been  upon  the  hills,  arid  that  two 
out  of  the  three  are  of  the  lineage  of  some  predatory  hero.  It  is, 
however,  not  easy  to  get  at  information  ;  the  Government  cannot  bear 
the  subject  to  be  mentioned ;  the  guilty,  therefore,  who  have  been  con- 
ditionally pardoned,  dare  not  speak,  and  the  others  who  were  their  prey 
have  too  many  painful  associations  to  make  the  subject  agreeable.  Two 
Englishmen  who  have  travelled  there  tell  me  that  if  you  ask  a  question 
of  any  respectable  person  on  these  dark  transactions,  he  usually  utters  not 
a  word  in  reply,  or,  if  he  says  anything,  it  is  something  like  this, — 
'Every  stone  hereabouts  has  its  own  bloody  tale  to  tell.'" 

"  Naples,  April  13,  Monday. 

"  We  reached  this  place  on  Saturday  night,  and  our  terrors  of  bom- 
bardment, for  some  of  our  party  did  tremble,  have  subsided.  Our  fleet 
just  poked  its  nose  into  the  Bay  on  Sunday  morning,  but  sailed  away  to 
Salerno,  a  port  some  ten  miles  distant,  where  it  waits,  I  suppose,  the 
turn  which  negotiations  may  take.  I  have  seen  our  Minister,  Mr. 
Temple,  and  he  gave  me  to  understand  that  we  may  safely  remain  till 
he  throws  out  a  hint  to  the  contrary.  Nothing  can  be  more  lovely  than 
this  day  ;  my  window  looks  towards  the  bay,  and  it  glitters  so  as  quite 
to  dazzle  me.  Beautiful  as  it  is,  it  is  singularly  like  Wcymouth.  *  *  * 
Instead  of  finishing  my  letter  to  you  this  morning,  I  was  tempted 
by  good  company  and  fine  weather  to  look  about  me ;  and  first,  after  a 
passing  glance  at  Vesuvius,  which  was  unusually  clear,  we  went  to  the 
Museum,  and  saw  all  the  curious  things  collected  from  Pompeii  and 
Hcrculaneum.  There  was  the  service  of  plate  which  some  active  butler 
had  spread  out  for  an  intended  dinner  eighteen  hundred  years  ago  ;  the 


1840.]  LAKE  AVERNUS.  425 

loaf  which  that  day  was  to  have  been  cut,  the  store  of  eggs  and  of  chest- 
nuts which  were  dressed  somewhat  sooner  than  was  designed.  Then 
there  was  Mrs.  Diomed's  garment,  at  least  a  piece  of  it ;  the  ornaments 
that  were  found  upon  her  head,  the  ring  on  her  finger,  and  the 
krv  which  her  hand  still  kept  hold  of;  there  was  the  helmet  of  the 
faithful  sentinel  who  was  found  at  his  'post,  and  the  iron  to  which  the 
legs  of  three  prisoners  were  still  fixed ;  there  were  the  appurtenances 
which  belonged  to  a  very  fine  lady,  rouge  among  the  rest.  But  it  is 
difficult  to  say  what  there  was  not.  It  is  strange  to  see  that  the  world 
wanted  and  Assessed  in  those  days  almost  everything  to  which  we  now 
attach  value. 

"  After  this  sight  some  of  us  went  to  Puteoli,  and  saw  the  spot  where 
St.  Paul  must  have  landed.  From  thence  we  proceeded  by  the  shore 
of  the  Mediterranean,  which  was  eminently  beautiful,  giving  us  a  full 
view  of  a  great  part  of  the  Bay  ;  and  we  then  paid  a  visit  to  the  Sibyl. 
The  country  was  originally  a  plain,  but  many  hills  have  been  thrown  up, 
some  of  them  not  long  ago,  by  the  operation  of  volcanoes.  Through  these 
we  wound  our  way  ;  at  last  we  stopped  opposite  a  little  path  leading  to 
the  left,  and  marched  along  by  the  side  of  the  Lake  Avernus  to  the  foot 
of  a  mountain.  As  for  this  lake,  which  has  been  sung  so  often,  by 
Homer,  if  I  recollect  right,  and  certainly  by  Virgil — '  Divinosque  lacus, 
et  Averna  sonantia  sylvis' — it  has  about  as  much  beauty  and  romance  as 
the  great  pond  at  Weybourne  !  It  was,  however,  exceedingly  curious  to 
be  visiting  the  Infernal  Regions, 

'  And  where  that  mayne  broad  stream  for  aye  doth  flow, 
Which  parts  the  gladsome  fields  from  Place  of  Woe ; 
Whence  none  shall  ever  pass  to  Elysium  playne, 
Or  from  Elysium  ever  turn  agayne.' 

"  I  always  thought  that  these  strange  places  were  deep  underground  ; 
but,  I  tell  you,  this  day  I  saw  Acheron,  and  Styx,  and  Elysium,  and  what 
not ;  and  with  my  own  hands  threw  a  stone  into  the  MareMortuum,  and 
with  my  own  eyes  saw  the  stone  swim. 

"  We  next  proceeded 

'  To  ascend  the  sacred  hill 
Where  Phoebus  is  adored,  and  seek  the  shade 
Which  hides  from  sight  his  venerable  Maid. 
Deep  in  a  care  the  Sibyl  makes  abode.' 

"  Leaving  the  ladies  at  the  entrance,  I  marched  with  four  guides  into 
the  mountain.  The  cave  is  said  to  extend  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
but  it  seemed  to  me  that  they  had  measured  it  with  some  poetical  licence. 
At  first  it  was  very  fair  walking,  but  it  grew  steeper  as  we  proceeded. 


426  POMPEII.  [CHAP.  XXTX. 

The  walls  were  of  lava,  grown  hard  by  age.  At  length  we  came  to  some 
water.  I  mounted  on  the  back  of  a  strong  guide,  and  another  carried  a 
flambeau  ;  at  length  we  arrived  at  the  Sibyl's  drawing-room,  a  narrow  cell , 
in  which  there  was  a  kind  of  stone  sofa,  and  a  sulphurous  bath,  in  which 
the  Sibyl  used  tojshow  herself  to  those  who  consulted  her,  and  among 
the  rest  to  Julius  Caesar.  After  seeing  all  these  lions  we  returned  to 
Naples." 

"  Wednesday,  April  15,  Eight  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

"  We  started  soon  after  eight  this  morning  for  Pompeii.  It  is  most 
curious  to  be  thus,  in  1840,  walking  about  a  town  which  in  many  re- 
spects is  as  fresh  and  as  perfect  as  it  was  on  the  23rd  August,  A.  D.  79. 
There  were  the  streets  with  their  ancient  names,  and  the  ruts  worn  by 
the  carriages.  At  No.  1,  Via  Consularis,  lived  the  ^Edile  Pansa  with 
his  name  over  the  door,  and  just  within  it  was  found  the  skeleton  of  his 
porter.  At,  No.  2,  resided  a  poet,  who,  unlike  his  fraternity,  appears 
to  have  been  very  wealthy.  The  house,  though  not  large,  was  very  ele- 
gant Among  his  pictures  was  a  beautiful  and  very  well  preserved  one, 
of  Venus  and  Cupid  fishing.  On  his  table  were  fish,  bread,  and  olives. 
In  his  kitchen  were  found  the  bones  of  two  of  his  cooks,  with  many  less 
important  articles  of  kitchen  furniture.  In  another  apartment,  stretched 
on  a  bed,  the  left  arm  holding  up  the  head,  was  found  another  body. 
In  another  house  there  was  a  table  spread  with  five  knives,  and  there 
were  the  skeletons  of  six  men  who  seemed  to  have  been  surprised  while 
they  were  making  themselves  comfortable  ;  for  on  the  table  before  them 
were  eggs  and  ham,  fish,  figs,  &c.  At  No.  6  resided  the  baker,  and  there 
were  his  grinding  stones  and  his  oven,  in  which  there  was  still  some 
bread.  Not  far  off  lived  a  musical  gentleman,  and  many  instruments  of 
music  were  found  in  his  house.  In  one  room  there  were  nine  bodies, 
three  of  them  with  flageolets  in  their  hands.  Sallust's  house  in  the  same 
street  was  very  elegantly  furnished,  and  there  we  got  a  very  good  con- 
ception of  the  way  in  which  he  used  to  dine.  At  one  end  of  the  build- 
ing there  was  a  good  painting  of  windows,  sky,  and  country.  It  appears 
that  Mrs.  Diomed  had  taken  refuge  in  the  cellar,  her  husband  was 
making  his  escape  at  the  back  of  the  house,  and  was  there  found  standing 
upright.  The  statue  of  the  Faun,  which  is  much  celebrated,  was  found 
in  the  centre  of  the  garden  of  Marcus  Tullius,  round  which  there  were 
the  remnants  of  forty-four  great  pillars  ;  he  seemed  to  have  lived  well 
through  the  year,  for  there  was  a  great  number  of  large  wine-jars  (<im- 
phorce),  which  were  turned  bottom  upwards,  showing  they  had  been 
recently  emptied ;  there  were  several  beautiful  mosaic  pictures,  one  of 
the  Nile,  with  its  animals  and  birds,  sea-horses,  alligators,  snakes,  and 
shoveller  ducks,  which  last  the  boys  thought  admirably  executed.  There 
was  also  a  very  fine  mosaic  of  Alexander  and  Darius.  In  a  small  room 


1840.]  POMPEII.  427 

were  found  the  remains  of  the  whole  family,  at  least  twenty-four  bodies 
of  ini'n,  women,  and  children,  also  a  silver  candelabrum,  and  a  good 
deal  of  money.  In  the  adjacent  Temple  of  Fortune  we  were  struck 
with  the  brilliant  whiteness  of  the  marble,  and  we  noticed  half  a  square 
of  very  thick  glass  in  an  aperture  between  tv\o  apartments.  Thei'orum 
was  splendid.  It  was  very  extensive,  and  gave  us  a  good  notion  of  the 
various  purposes  to  which  it  was  turned — a  Senate  House  in  one 
place ;  a  Temple  of  Jupiter,  if  I  recollect  right,  in  another ;  the  spots 
where  they  made  speeches  and  measured  corn ;  an  Exchange,  &c.  &c. 

"  But  such  a. beautiful  scene  as  there  was  before  us — to  the  left  and 
immediately  opposite  to  us,  a  line  of  hills ;  to  the  right,  the  sea  \\  ith 
Castel-a-mare,  and  on  its  shores  several  white  towns,  with  the  island  of 
Capri,  and  the  promontory  of  Minerva  in  the  distance  ;  certainly  this 
region  is  eminently  beautiful.  One  of  their  national  proverbs  says,  that 
Naples  is  a  piece  of  heaven  which  has  tumbled  down  upon  earth. 

'•  We  had  intended  to  dine  in  the  Forum,  but  by  mistake  our  dinner 
was  laid  out  in  a  kind  of  barn-looking  room  at  some  little  distance  from 
it.  To  say  nothing  of  our  food,  which,  however,  was  very  acceptable, 
we  were  highly  amused  by  the  whole  scene.  We  had  plenty  of  native 
waiters,  but  I  do  not  think  they  mustered  a  single  stocking  among  them. 
A  musician  made  his  appearance,  who  first  played  on  a  cracked  instru- 
ment, and  then  sung  a  variety  of  fine  Italian  airs  in  very  good  style. 
Then  he  set  two  men  and  a  boy  figuring  away  in  a  dance,  somewhat 
like  an  Irish  jig ;  and  finally,  renouncing  his  instrument,  set  to  work 
dancing  himself  to  the  music  of  his  own  voice.  The  bard,  however, 
like  Walter  Scott's,  gave  us  to  understand  that  the  higher  ettbrts  of  his 
art  required  the  inspiration  of  a  tumbler  of  wine.  We  afterwards  saw 
the  Temple  of  Isis.  The  worshippers  stood  below,  the  oracles  were 
delivered  from  above,  and  we  saw  clearly  the  aperture  by  which  the 
priest  obtained  admittance  behind  the  altar,  and  spoke  for  the  goddess 
when  she  happened  to  be  in  a  silent  mood.  The  guide  assured  us  that 
he  had  tried  the  experiment,  and  the  people  below  supposed  that  the 
voice  really  came  from  above.  It  seems  that  the  priests  made  a  good 
thing  of  it ;  for  some  money  and  wine  were  found  and  the  skeleton  of  a 
man  with  an  iron  bar  in  his  hand,  with  which  he  had  endeavoured  to 
break  through  the  wall. 

"  We  afterwards  saw  at  some  distance  a  beautiful  theatre,  as  perfect, 
I  should  think,  as  it  was  at  the  moment  of  the  eruption.  Also  an  im- 
mense amphitheatre  in  an  equal  state  of  preservation  ;  so  that  we  have 
the  clearest  conception  of  the  stage  on  which  the  captives  and  Christians 
fought  with  wild  beasts,  and  of  the  order  in  which  the  gentlefolks  of 
Pompeii  sat  while  they  were  amusing  themselves  with  this  delicious 
spectacle.  But  it  began  to  grow  cold ;  so  my  wife  and  I  returned 


423  NAPLES  BLOCKADED.  [CHAP.  xxix. 

home  in  our  carriage,  and  I  gladly  leave  it  to  others  to  supply  you  with 
further  information." 

At  this  time  great  excitement  prevailed  in  Naples,  the  king 
having  announced  his  determination  to  go  to  war  with  England 
rather  than  give  up  his  rights  on  the  sulphur  question.  Large 
bodies  of  troops  were  embarked  for  Sicily.  The  fortifications 
were  repaired  and  extended,  and  everywhere  the  din  of  military 
preparations  was  heard.  Mr.  Buxton,  however,  did  not  take 
alarm,  but  remained  at  Naples,  and  one  morning,  the  apprehen- 
sions of  war  having  somewhat  subsided,  his  party  visited  the 
crater  of  Vesuvius.  While  approaching  Naples,  on  their  return 
home  at  night,  they  observed  lights  in  a  part  of  the  harbour 
where  they  had  never  appeared  before.  On  entering  the  town 
it  was  found  to  be  in  an  uproar  of  confusion  ;  the  Bellerophori 
seventy-four,  and  the  Hydra  armed  steamer,  had  entered  the 
harbour,  and,  to  the  astonishment  and  indignation  of  the  Neapo- 
litans, had  anchored  under  the  teeth  of  their  batteries.  The 
streets  were  thronged  with  the  whole  population  of  Naples,  in 
the  utmost  excitement.  Regiments  of  horse  and  foot  were 
marching  rapidly  to  their  posts  ;  cannon  and  tumbrils  of  ammu- 
nition were  rolling  by ;  and  soon  the  king  dashed  past  in  a 
barouche  and  four  on  his  way  to  Posilippo,  where  the  English 
were  expected  to  land. 

Mr.  Buxton,  however,  felt  quite  confident,  as  indeed  it  proved, 
that  the  king  was  only  endeavouring  to  obtain  good  conditions 
by  a  pretence  of  resistance.  In  a  note  written  on  the  evening 
of  the  arrival  of  the  Bellerophon  and  Hydra,  after  mentioning 
the  excitement  of  the  town,  "  people  running  about  in  all  direc- 
tions, companies  of  soldiers  on  the  esplanade,  cannon  posted 
along  it,"  &c.,  he  proceeds — 

"  Do  not  be  frightened.  We  are  not.  We  have  no  idea  that  our 
sleep  this  night  will  be  broken  by  the  thunder  of  these  guns.  We 
have,  however,  ordered  our  passports  to  be  prepared,  ready  for  a  start ; 
and  I  am  sure  to  be  right,  when,  after  the  manner  of  the  Delphic  oracle, 
I  pronounce  that  the  whole  hubbub  will  end  in  smoke !  " 

This  appears  to  be  the  last  letter  written  by  Mr.  Buxton  from 
Italy.  At  the  end  of  April  he  was  compelled  to  hasten  to 
England  on  account  of  the  African  business,  leaving  the  rest  of 


1840.]  JOURNEY  THROUGH  FRANCE.  429 

the  party  behind,  till  the  advance  of  summer  should  render  it 
safe  for  Mrs.  Buxton  to  return  to  a  northern  climate.  In  the 
interim,  some  of  the  travellers  proceeded  across  Italy  to  Ancona, 
and  there  embarked  for  Greece. 

TO  MISS  GURXEY,  AT  ATHENS. 

"  Fontainebleau,  Sunday,  May  10. 

"  If  an  angel  were  to  offor  to  tell  me  at  this  moment  any  earthly 
news,  the  question  I  should  ask  him  would  he,  How  fares  it  with  our 
Athenians  ?  Has  the  time  gone  merrily  with  them  ?  are  they  safe  and 
sound,  satisfied  and  happy  '?  and  are  they  now  sitting  on  Mars  Hill, 
reading,  as  we  have  done  to-day,  the  17th  chapter  of  Acts?  What  a 
curious  scene  that  was,  and  how  the  Stoics  would  have  wondered,  had 
they  been  told  by  an  oracle  that  the  barbarian  babbler  before  them  would 
be  more  renowned  at  the  end  of  two  thousand  years  than  Theseus  or 
Themistocles  !  and  that  in  a  little  bit  of  an  island,  which  they  had  never 
heard  of,  the  time  would  come  when  his  description  of  them — their 
scorn — their  avidity  for  news — would  be  copied  off  at  the  rate  of  one 
a  minute ! 

••  Well,  I  can  truly  say  I  have  eagerly  watched  you,  thought  of  you, 
and  sailed  with  you ;  and  my  first  inquiry  every  morning  has  been — '  Is 
the  day  fine  for  our  Attic  party?'  Alas!  the  answer  has  not  always 
been  gladdening.  Our  days  have  been  alternately  wet  and  dry,  never 
very  fine,  sometimes  excessively  wet ;  so  I  fear  for  you.  Surely  I  shall 
find  a  line  from  you  at  Paris  to-morrow.  At  Paris  to-morrow  !  you  w  ill 
say  :  \\hy,  how  you  must  have  raced  !  Nay,  we  we  have  travelled  very 
slowly  ;  up  betimes  in  the  morning,  always  housed  before  eight  in  the 
evening,  and  yet  here  we  are,  notwithstanding  we  lost  half  a  day  for 
want  of  horses,  half  a  day  by  breaking  our  springs,  and  half  a  day  by 
our  wish  to  see  the  city  of  Lyons. 

"  Our  journey,  which  cost  so  many  sighs  before  we  started,  has  been 
nothing  else  but  pleasure.  G.  B.  has  been  a  capital  companion.  He 
is  always  gay  and  cheerful;  humours  me  in  the  choice  of  rooms  and 
dishes  ;  does  all  the  work ;  reads  in  the  Bible  to  me  the  first  stage  ; 
talks  when  1  want  a  chat,  and  holds  his  tongue  or  goes  out  a  stage  or 
two  when  I  want  to  meditate ;  or  reads  Byron  to  me  when  I  am  tired 
of  my  own  employments.  I  suppose  you  have  read  the  Giaour  and  the 
Corsair?  They  have  furnished  me  with  charming  ideas  of  Grecian 
scenery.  In  our  voyage  to  Marseilles  I  saw  the  sun  rise  out  of  the  sea, 
and  he  did,  indeed,  come  forth  '  as  a  bridegroom  out  of  his  chamber.' 
1  had  been  reading  Byron  the  evening  before,  with,  I  confess,  unex- 
pected admiration, — but  sitting  upon  the  deck  that  morning,  and  reading 


430  JOURNEY  THROUGH  FRANCE.  [CHAP.  xxix. 

the  19th  Psalm  as  the  sun  began  to  peep  over  the  waves,  I  thought  that 
David  was  the  greater  poet  of  the  two.  The  verses  of  Byron's  I  had 
been  reading,  as  we  floated  by  the  hills  between  Genoa  and  Marseilles, 
were  those  beginning — 

'  Slow  sinks,  more  lovely  ere  his  race  be  run, 
Behind  Morea's  hills  the  setting  sun ; 
Not  as  in  northern  climes,  obscurely  bright, 
But  one  unclouded  blaze  of  living  light ; 
O'er  the  hushed  deep  the  yellow  beam  he  throws, 
Gilds  the  green  wave  that  trembles  as  it  glows,'  &c. 

"  They  are  charming,  as  much  for  their  fidelity  as  for  their  poetry ; 
but  Byron  never  ploughed  through  a  perfectly  calm  sea  at  the  rate  of 
nine  knots  an  hour ;  if  he  had  he  could  not  but  have  described  the  velvet 
waves,  as  they  were  turned  up  by  the  steamer,  without  breaking.  I 
never  saw  anything  so  lovely. 

"  But  now  to  answer  your  questions.  Yes,  I  am  well,  famously  well, 
no  headache,  no  cough,  no  cramp,  no  nothing.  I  am  in  capital  spirits, 
hoping  that  I  am  going  to  see  '  my  children's  children,  and  peace  upon 
Africa.' 

"  The  roads,  to  my  surprise,  have  been  very  good,  and  the  country 
all  the  way  from  Marseilles  very  pretty.  I  wish  my  wife  would  return 
by  it ;  it  would  be  so  safe  for  her  monster  of  a  carriage.  She  saw  it 
when  the  trees  were  in  the  sear  and  yellow  leaf;  but  now,  the  olives 
first,  then  the  walnuts,  last  of  all  the  forest-trees,  are  in  full  foliage, 
and  give  one  quite  a  new  idea  of  France. 

"  While  at  Paris  I  hope  to  see  Madame  Pelet,  and  ask  her  to  go  with 
me  to  the  Due  de  Broglie,  that  we  may  have  a  talk  about  the  slave- 
trade,  and  that  I  may  give  him  a  copy  of  my  book. 

"  How  I  do  long  to  hear  of  all  your  adventures  and  histories  !*     Do 


*  One  of  these  adventures  was  of  rather  a  disagreeable  character.  On 
our  way  home,  after  crossing  the  Splugen,  and  passing  through  the  Via  Mala, 
we  found  the  road  blocked  up  by  a  waggou  full  of  wood,  but  without  any 
horse  or  man.  The  postboy  blew  his  horn,  but  no  one  appeared ;  so  at 
length  we  got  down,  and  tried  to  move  the  waggon,  but  were  unable  to  do 
so,  and  at  last  we  were  forced  to  tilt  it  in  order  to  let  the  carriage  pass. 
The  woodmen,  no  doubt,  had  seen  what  we  were  doing  from  the  hill-side, 
and  probably  had  been  coming  down  to  move  the  waggon ;  but,  on  seeing 
it  upset,  they  rushed  down  upon  us  in  a  state  of  the  most  ungovernable 
fury.  Three  of  them_fell  at  once  upon  our  servant,  threw  him  down,  and 
mauled  him  terribly  ;  another  ran  to  the  horses'  heads  to  prevent  the  post- 
boy from  going  on  ;  while  a  fifth  attacked  Mr.  Richards  with  a  shower  of 
blows.  Mr.  Richards  at  length  fluug  him  off,  and  sprang  upon  one  of  the 
men  who  was  kneeling  upon  the  coachman  and  beating  him;  thus  relieved, 
Spink  jumped  upon  his  feet,  knocked  over  two  of  the  ruffians  with  such 


1840.]  LETTERS.  431 

you  find  you  can  talk  Greek  ?  What  do  you  think  of  the  Acropolis  ? 
Are  Charles  and  Richards  availing  themselves  to  the  utmost  of  so  un- 
precedented an  opportunity  ?  " 

TO  MRS.  BUXTOX,  AT  GENOA. 

"  Paris,  May  12. 

"  I  am  full  of  imaginations  of  your  inns  :  windows  not  fastened,  cur- 
tains not  closing,  and  the  keen  winds  rushing  down  the  mountains. 
May  God  have  preserved  you !  But  I  have  felt,  if  possible,  even  more 
for  those  dear  Athenians.  I  keep  a  little  map  in  my  pocket,  and  often 
turn  to  it,  but  I  cannot  say  with  pleasure.  I  would  give  something  to 
know  when  they  set  foot  again  on  the  solid  earth,  tossed,  as  they  have 
been,  I  fear,  and  sick  and  sad,  and  at  their  wit's  end.  I  am  glad  they 
wandered  to  Mars  Hill ;  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  each  of  them  all  their 
lives.  Would,  however,  that  you  were  all  at  home  again  !" 

The  last  in  the  series  of  Mr.  Buxton's  letters  is  dated  from 
Havre  de  Grace : — 

"May  15,  1840. 

"  My  dear  A.  &  C. — We  are  going  to  start  to-night  for  England. 
The  wind  is  fair,  the  sea  smooth,  and  we  hope  to  breakfast  to-morrow 
at  Southampton.  I  was  exceedingly  amused  with  your  letters  from 
Ancona ;  I  know  you  put  in  all  that  Greek  to  puzzle  me,  but  there  you 
were  mistaken,  for  I  made  it  all  out.  While  I  was  at  Paris  Madame 
Pelet  was  most  kind  to  me,  and  introduced  me  to  many  persons  whom 
I  wished  to  see,  and  especially  to  some  good  abolitionists.  I  called  on 
M.  de  St.  Antoine,  and  was  much  pleased  with  his  heartiness.  I  think 
he  is  more  likely  to  be  useful  than  any  of  them ;  he  has  so  much  heart 
in  the  work.  It  was,  I  think,  this  day  seventeen  years  ago  that  I  first 
brought  forward  the  slavery  question,  and  on  Wednesday  thirty-three 
years  I  was  married  ;  the  two  chief  events  of  my  life." 


force  that  his  blouse  was  stained  with  their  blood,  and,  after  a  moment's 
desperate  scuffle  •with  the  others,  he  broke  away,  and,  springing  upon  the 
coachbox,  produced  his  pistols.  On  seeing  them  the  fellows  fled.  The 
•writer  of  this,  meanwhile,  was  lying  insensible  on  the  road,  having  been  put 
hors  de  combat  by  a  heavy  blow  on  the  mouth.  They  lifted  him  into  the 
carriage,  and  we  reached  Ragats  without  any  further  molestation. — ED. 


432  GREAT  PUBLIC  MEETING.  [CHAP.  xxx. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

1840,  1841. 

Great  Public  Meeting  in  Exeter  Hall  —  Prince  Albert  in  the  Chair  — 
Mr.  Buxton  created  a  Baronet  —  Preparations  for  the  Niger  Expedition 

. Agricultural   Association  —  Ventilation  of  the   Ships  —  Sir   Powell 

Buxton's  Health  begins  to  fail  —  "  The  Friend  of  Africa  "  —  Public 
Meetings  —  Letter  to  the  Kev.  J.  W.  Cunningham  —  Day  of  Prayer  for 
the  Expedition  —  Prince  Albert's  Visit  to  the  Vessels  —  The  Expedition 
sails  —  Letter  to  Captain  Trotter. 

MR.  BUXTON  arrived  at  his  son's  house  in  tolerable  health, 
and  full  of  impatience  to  carry  out  his  plans  for  the  suppression 
of  the  slave-trade,  by  the  establishment  of  lawful  commerce  in 
Africa.  To  these  he  at  once  devoted  himself,  with  all  the  ardour 
that  mi^ht  be  expected  after  the  period  of  relaxation  he  had 
enjoyed.  In  order  to  bring  the  whole  case  effectually  before  the 
public,  a  meeting  was  held  on  the  1st  of  June,  at  which,  to  the 
hio-h  gratification  of  the  African  Society,  H.R.H.  Prince  Albert 
consented  to  preside.  The  meeting  took  place  in  Exeter  Hall, 
and  formed,  say  the  contemporary  papers,  "  a  most  grand  and 
magnificent  display  of  national  feeling."  At  eleven  o'clock  His 
Royal  Highness  entered  the  hall,  which  was  already  crowded 
with  an  audience  of  the  highest  respectability.  Among  those 
present  were  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  the  Marquis  of  Breadalbane, 
the  Marquis  of  Northampton,  the  Earls  of  Ripon,  Howe,  Chi- 
chester,  Euston,  Devon,  and  Morley  ;  Lords  Ashley,  Sandon, 
Mahon,  C.  Fitzroy,  Worsley,  Monteagle,  Teignmouth,  Seaford, 
Howick,  Eliot,  Calthorpe,  Nugent,  K.  Grosvenor,  &c.  &c. ; 
M.  Guizot,  and  the  Bishops  of  Winchester.  Exeter,  Chichester, 
Ripon,  Salisbury,  Hereford,  and  Norwich. 

Prince  Albert  opened  the  meeting;  and  Mr.  Buxton  then 
moved  the  first  resolution,  concluding  his  address  in  these 
words : — 

"  I   do    not   forget  the   military  triumphs  which  this   country  has 


1840.]  GREAT  PUBLIC  MEETING.  433 

achieved  ;  but  there  is  a  road  to  glory  more  noble,  more  illustrious, 
purer,  and  grander  than  the  battles  of  Waterloo  or  Trafalgar  ; — to  arrest 
the  destruction  of  mankind  ;  to  pour  a  blessing  upon  a  continent  in 
ruins ;  to  send  civilization  and  the  mild  truths  of  the  Gospel  over  a 
region,  in  comparison  with  which  Britain  herself  is  but  a  speck  upon  the 
ocean ;  this  is  the  road  to  true  and  enduring  renown :  and  the  desire 
and  prayer  of  my  heart  is  that  Her  Majesty  may  tread  it ;  and  that, 
crowned  with  every  other  blessing,  she  may 

'  Shine  the  leader  of  applauding  nations,  ; 

To  scatter  happiness  and  peace  around  her, 
To  bid  the  prostrate  captive  rise  and  live, 
To  see  new  cities  tower  at  her  command, 
And  blasted  nations  flourish  in  her  smile.' "    ' 

He  was  followed  by  Archdeacon  Wilberforce  (the  present 
Bishop  of  Oxford),  by  Sir  Kobert  Peel,  the  Bishops  of  Win- 
chester and  Chichester,  the  Marquis  of  Northampton,  Sir  Thomas 
Dyke  Ac-land,  Sir  George  Murray,  Dr.  Lushington,  Mr.  Samuel 
Gurney,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bunting,  Rev.  J.  "VV.  Cunningham,  and 
several  other  gentlemen.  At  one  period  an  interruption  was 
caused  by  the  entry  of  Mr.  O'Connell,  and  the  clamours  of  part 
of  the  audience  for  a  speech  from  that  gentleman ;  but,  alto- 
gether, the  meeting  passed  off  with  the  most  triumphant  success. 

Shortly  after  this  meeting  of  the  African  Civilization  Society, 
it  was  intimated  to  Mr.  Buxton,  by  Lord  John  Russell,  that  it 
was  proposed  to  confer  the  rank  of  Baronet  upon  him.  After 
some  deliberation,  having  ascertained  that  the  idea  had  not  been 
suggested  to  the  Government  by  any  of  his  friends,  but  was  a 
spontaneous  mark  of  their  approbation  of  his  conduct,  he  accepted 
the  title  with  much  gratification. 

The  summer  was  spent  in  active  preparation  for  the  Niger 
Expedition,  for  the  service  of  which  three  iron  steamers,  the 
"  Albert,"  the  "  Wilberforce,"  and  "  Soudan,"  were  fitted  out ;  and 
to  the  great  satisfaction  of  all  who  were  interested  in  the  subject, 
the  command  of  the  expedition  was  given  to  Captain  Henry  Dundas 
Trotter  who  was  appointed  to  the  "  Albert,"  Commander  Wil- 
liam Allen  to  the  "  Wilberforce,"  and  Commander  Bird  Allen 
to  the  "  Soudan."  These  gentlemen  and  Mr.  William  Cook* 

*  Well  known  as  the  Captain  of  the  Cambria,  which  saved  the  crew  of 
the  Kent  East  ludiaman. 

2    F 


434  THE  NIGER  EXPEDITION.  [CHAP.  xxx. 

were  the  four  Commissioners  empowered  to  make  treaties  with 
the  native  chiefs  for  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade. 

The  African  Civilization  Society  engaged  several  scientific 
gentlemen  to  accompany  the  expedition ;  Dr.  Vugel  as  botanist, 
Mr.  Roscher  as  mineralogist  and  miner,  Dr.  Stanger  as  geologist, 
and  Mr.  Fraser,  Curator  of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London, 
as  naturalist.  Mr.  Uwins  a  draughtsman,  and  Mr.  Ansell,  a 
practical  gardener  or  seedsman,  were  also  appointed  ;  and  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  was  allowed  to  send  the  Rev.  Fre- 
derick Schon  and  Mr.  Samuel  Crowther  *  to  examine  into  the 
practicability  of  establishing  missions  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger. 

The  object  of  the  expedition  was,  to  explore  that  great  artery 
of  "Western  Africa,  the  river  Niger  ;  to  examine  the  capabilities 
of  the  country  along  its  banks ;  to  enter  into  treaties  with  the 
native  chiefs  for  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade ;  to  clear  the 
road  for  commercial  enterprise,  and  to  afford  that  enterprise  the 
security  which  alone  seemed  necessary  for  its  development. 

Sir  Fowell  Buxton  and  his  friends  were  also  extremely  anxious 
that  this  opportunity  should  not  be  lost  of  putting  the  natives  in 
the  way  of  cultivating  the  soil,  and  drawing  forth  its  varied  and 
immense  resources.  It  will  be  remembered  that,  in  1839,  an 
Agricultural  Association  was  proposed.  To  its  formation  he 
had  devoted  much  of  his  time  during  the  summer  of  1840.  The 
expression  recurs  again  and  again  in  his  letters — "  There  is 
nothing  to  which  I  attach  more  importance  than  to  the  Agri- 
cultural Association."  "  I  am  firm  in  the  conviction  that,  next 
to  religion,  the  Agricultural  Association  is  the  means  on  which 
we  ought  chiefly  to  rely." 

TO  SIR  THOMAS  DYKE  ACLAND,  BART. 

"August,  1840. 

"  This  consideration  has  presented  itself  to  me  with  great  force — we 
never  shall  have  again  so  favourable  an  opportunity  for  making  an  expe- 
riment in  agriculture.  The  few  people  whom  we  shall  send  will  go  out 


*  The  Rev.  S.  Crowther  (who  is  an  African  Negro),  having  been  ordained 
by  the  Bishop  of  London,  is  now  zealously  labouring  as  a  Missionary  at 
Abeokouta.  An  interesting  account  of  his  deliverance  from  a  slave-ship 
will  be  found  in  App.  III.  of  Messrs.  Schou  and  Crowther's  Journals  of  the 
Niger  Expedition. 


1840.]  PLAN  FOR  A  MODEL  FARM.  435 

under  the  escort  and  protection  of  the  vessels.  They  will  be  carried 
through  the  mangroves  and  miasma  of  the  delta  by  steam  ;  they  will 
have  the  medical  help  of  at  least  eight  surgeons  or  physicians;  above 
all,  they  will  have  the  sound  and  cool  judgment  of  Captain  Trotter  to 
restrain  them  from  settling,  unless  the  circumstances  of  climate,  soil, 
and  disposition  of  the  natives  should  be  very  favourable.  If,  then,  we 
are  ever  to  make  the  attempt,  why  lose  such  an  opportunity?  Our 
intention  is  to  make  a  mere  commencement,  on  a  most  moderate  scale. 
If  it  answer,  we  shall  enlarge  our  operations  hereafter,  and  we  shall 
have  something  practical  and  positive  to  lay  before  the  public." 

It  was  at  length  resolved  to  adopt  this  agricultural  experiment. 
Four  thousand  pounds  were  subscribed  for  the  purpose  by  Mr. 
Evans,  M.P.,  Mr.  James  Cook,  Mr.  Samuel  Gurhey,  Sir  T.  D. 
Acland,  Mr.  T.  Sturge,  Mr.  J.  G.  Hoare,  Sir  Fowell  Buxton, 
and  Mr.  E.  N.  Buxton.  Sir  Fowell  further  proposed  that  a 
tract  of  land  should  be  purchased  in  a  healthy  situation  near  the 
confluence  of  the  Niger  and  Tchadda.  This  proposition  was 
unanimously  adopted,  and  measures  were  immediately  taken  for 
carrying  it  into  effect. 

Referring  to  this  plan  for  a  model  farm,  Sir  Fowell  says,  in  a 
letter  addressed  to  Miss  Gurney,  on  the  6th  of  December — 

"  I  cannot  conclude  these  particulars  about  Africa  without  telling  you 
of  a  text  which  has  been  cheering  me  up  all  day :  '  There  shall  be 
showers  of  blessing,  and  the  tree  of  the  field  shall  yield  her  fruit,  and 
the  earth  shall  yield  her  increase,  and  they  shall  be  safe  in  their  land, 
and  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  have  broken  the  bands  of 
their  yoke,  and  delivered  them  out  of  the  hand  of  those  that  served 
themselves  of  them.'  "  (Ezekiel  xxxiv.  26—28.) 

The  severe  attacks  made  upon  his  plans  by  some  of  the  leading 
journals  gave  him  much  pain  ;  "  But,"  he  tells  Mrs.  Johnston, 
"  I  cannot  help  remembering,  when  I  feel  the  breezes  that  blow 
upon  us  now,  what  the  gales  were  in  1825  and  1826,  when  our 
Anti-slavery  bark  put  to  sea.  That  cause  was  indeed  cradled  in 
a  hurricane,  and  yet  how  safely  is  it  havened  !" 

Throughout  his  correspondence  innumerable  passages  occur 
which  show  his  extreme  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  those  who  were 
voluntarily  about  to  encounter  so  dangerous  a  climate.  He  says, 
in  a  letter  to  Captain  Washington, — 

"  Trotter  tells  me  that  the  expense  of  the  ventilation  already  exceeds 

2  F  2 


436  PLAN  FOR  A  MODEL  FARM.  [CHAP.  xxx. 

the  estimate  by  1400/.,  and  that  a  further  expense  of  500Z.  is  still 
required,  which  he  will  not  proceed  to  incur  till  he  has  the  authority  of 
the  Government.  Now  I  am  as  clear  as  daylight  about  two  points : 
first,  that  the  Government  ought  to  pay  this  ;  and  secondly,  that  if  they 
will  not,  we  must ;  and  that,  therefore,  it  ought  to  be  so  proceeded 
with  as  not  to  delay  the  departure  of  the  expedition.  As  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  I  give  my  hearty  concurrence,  and  will  take  my  full  share  of 
the  responsibility." 

To  Mr.  Samuel  Gurney,  after  requesting  him  to  attend  a 
meeting1  of  the  Agricultural  Committee,  and  pay  in  a  subscrip- 
tion for  him : — 

"  I  leave  it  to  you  to  put  down  my  name  for  the  sum  you  think  right. 
To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  had  thought  of  being  very  mean  in  my  sub- 
scription. In  one  way  or  another  Africa  has  cost  me  a  good  round  sum, 
and  on  this  ground  I  thought  myself  justified  in  subscribing  only  10007.  ; 
but  if  you  think  that  the  smallness  of  this  will  discourage  other  people 
and  do  mischief,  put  me  down  for  two,  or  three,  or  four  thousand.  I 
am  very  glad  to  think  that  Africa  has  a  friend  like  you,  more  able,  and 
more  willing,  to  give." 

On  the  7th  of  August  Dr.  Lushington  and  Sir  Fowell  Buxton 
addressed  a  letter  to  Lord  John  Russell,*  setting  forth  the  im- 
portance of  establishing  the  model  farm.  After  this,  he  was 
constrained  to  go  into  the  country  for  the  re-establishment  of 
his  health.  "  To  tell  you  the  truth,"  he  writes  to  Sir  George 
Stephen,  "  I  am  dead  beat ;  I  do  not  recollect  ever  to  have  felt 
so  languid  and  good  for  nothing." 

TO  THE  RIGHT  HON.  STEPHEN  LUSHINGTON,  D.C.L. 

"  My  dear  Lushington, — Dr.  Farre  has  been  pleased  to  write  me  a 
letter,  telling  me  that  I  have  just  this  alternative,  viz.  that  it  is  open  to 
me  now,  either  to  live  or  to  die  for  Africa  ;  but  that,  if  my  judgment  be 
in  favour  of  the  former  mode  of  proceeding,  I  must  'cut  and  run,'  '  go 
to  the  country  and  animalise.'  This  is  curiously  in  concurrence  with 
what  Dr.  Holland  told  me  six  months  asro.f  I  think  I  shall  send  you 
these  medical  letters,  for  if  there  be  anything  on  earth  which  I  mortally 
hate,  it  is  the  sense  that  1  am  skulking  away  from  the  field  of  battle, 


*  See  Parliamentary  Papers  relative  to  the  Niger  Expedition. 

t  Dr.  Holland,  some  time  before,  wrote  to  Mrs.  Buxton: — "  From  what 
I  have  seen,  Mr.  Buxton  is  working  beyond  the  power  which  even  the 
strongest  natural  constitution  can  give." 


1840.]  DECLINING  HEALTH.  437 

while  you,  in  spite  of  your  ailments,  go  on  fighting  manfully.  Hut  I 
really  cannot  help  it ;  there  is  not  a  stroke  of  work  left  in  my  great 
caiviisc.  1  am  like  my  old  horse  John  Bull ;  he  does  well  enough  for 
a  lady  to  take  a  canter  in  the  park,  but  give  him  a  brush  along  the 
road,  or  a  burst  across  the  fields,  and  he  is  done  up  for  a  month. 

"  Now  what  does  all  this  tend  to  ?  This, — that  I  must  avail  myself 
of  your  permission  to  leave  town  this  week,  subject  to  being  recalled  by 
you  on  any  great  emergency,  particularly  with  regard  either  to  treaties 
or  instructions." 

Private  anxieties  were  now  added  to.  his  public  labours,  but 
these  occupied  his  thoughts  far  less  than  Africa.  He  thus  writes 
to  Lady  Buxton  from  Bury,  while  on  his  way  to  London  in  obe- 
dience to  a  summons  from  Lord  John  Russell : — 

"  August  27,  1840. 

"  It  will  cheer  you  to  hear  that  I  am  so  far  on  my  journey,  safe  and 
sound,  remarkably  comfortable,  and  perfectly  well  into  the  bargain. 
*  *  *  What  are  mines,  and  miseries,  and  mail-coaches,  as  compared 
with  the  vision,  all  sunshine,  of  a  people,  thousands  and  hundreds  of 
thousands,  springing  from  bondage  to  liberty,  from  stripes  and  howling 
to  wages  and  singing,  from  being  things  to  being  men,  from  blindness 
to  the  Gospel  ?  *  *  * 

"  I  feel  very  thankful,  and  am  a  happy  man  this  night." 

Among  other  matters  of  interest  which  demanded  his  atten- 
tion during  his  short  visit  to  London  was  the  setting  on  foot  a 
periodical  under  the  name  of  '  The  Friend  of  Africa,'  the  superin- 
tendence of  which  was  undertaken  by  Captain  Washington,  R.N., 
an  energetic  member  of  the  committee. 

During  September  great  pains  were  taken  to  inform  and  inte- 
rest the  public  on  the  subject  of  the  African  expedition,  and  with 
this  view  it  was  resolved  that  meetings  should  be  held  in  the 
principal  commercial  towns.  It  was  of  importance  that  these 
should  be  ably  conducted.  The  Marquis  of  Breadalbane  pre- 
sided at  the  one  convened  at  Glasgow.  "  For  Manchester,"  Sir 
Fowell  writes  to  Captain  Washington,  "  Dr.  Lushington  would 
be  the  man.  His  presence  would  ensure  success,  but  I  really 
know  not  how  to  ask  him.  We  trouble  him  enough  upon  mat- 
ters even  more  important.  He  wants  rest  as  much  as  any  man, 
and  yet  he  is  of  so  free  and  ardent  a  nature  that  he  will  kill  him- 
self rather  than  not  do  anything  he  can." 


438  LETTER  ON  THE  SLAVE-TRADE.          [CHAP.  xxx. 

Dr.  Lushington,  however,  and  Sir  George  Murray,  attended 
the  Manchester  meeting.  Another,  at  which  many  of  the  nobility 
and  gentry  of  Norfolk  were  present,  was  held  in  St.  Andrew's 
Hall,  Norwich,  Mr.  Villebois,  then  high  sheriff  of  Norfolk,  being 
in  the  chair ;  but  a  large  body  of  Chartists  broke  into  the  hall, 
and  after  great  uproar  and  confusion  compelled  the  meeting  to 
disperse.  It  is  to  this  meeting  that  the  following  letter  alludes : — 

"  My  dear  Lushington, — What  with  the  Chartists  at  Norwich,  and 
the  Times  newspaper,  and  the  Edinburgh  Review,  and  the  bitter  reso- 
lutions of  the  Liverpool  Anti-slavery  Society,  and  the  recognition  of 
Texas,  and  the  threatened  admission  of  slave-grown  sugar,  clouds  seem 
to  be  gathering  round  about  us  ;  but  I  do  not  mean  to  allow  these  things 
utterly  to  vex  me.  I  am  as  sure  as  ever  that  we  are  upon  the  right  tack, 
and,  if  so,  we  shall  beat  them  all  yet.  My  chief  anxiety  is,  that  the  in- 
structions to  the  commissioners,  and  the  model  treaty,  should  be  finished 
in  good  style.  I  will  be  with  you  at  dinner  on  Wednesday,  and  we  will 
talk  over  these  matters." 

The  following  is  an  extract  of  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  J.  W. 
Cunningham  of  Harrow,  in  which  Sir  Fowell  urged  him  to  give 
lectures  in  different  places  on  the  subject  of  the  slave-trade:  — 

"Northrepps,  Sept.  23,  1840. 

«  *  *  *  A  month  spent  in  going  from  town  to  town  would  do  us  in- 
finite good — infinite,  literally  speaking,  for  it  affects  negro  souls  as  well 
as  bodies. 

"  So,  O  man  of  God,  pray  send  to  Trew*  the  instant  you  receive 
this,  and  offer  to  traverse  a  district  for  at  least  four  weeks.  The  effect 
will  be,  that  a  hundred  other  clergymen,  evangelical  and  eloquent,  will 
follow  your  example,  and  the  tocsin  will  be  sounded  through  the  king- 
dom ;  the  subject  will  be  no  longer  dormant ;  our  Society  will  be  rich 
instead  of  poor;  and,  being  rich,  will  adventure  to  do  things  connected 
with  the  expedition,  and  things  of  essential  importance,  at  which  it  now 
starts  and  trembles. 

"  I  speak  most  seriously  when  I  say,  I  think  you  may  thus  do  us  vast 
good ;  and,  moreover,  the  West  Indians  also.  You  tell  me  you  heard 
one  of  them  confess  that  my  plan  was  '  their  only  shelter  from  ruin.' 
Very  curious  that  it  should  have  come  to  this.  But  it  is  true  enough  : 
nothing  but  the  horrors  of  the  slave-trade,  fixed  and  stamped  on  the 
mind  of  the  public,  will  avert  the  introduction  of  slave-grown  sugar. 


*  The  Rev.  J.  M.  Trew  had  been    appointed  Secretary  to  the  African 
Civilization  Society. 


1840.]  SLAVE-GROWN  SUGAR.  439 

"  But  the  most  wonderful  part  of  the  case  is,  that  the  West  Indians 
look  on  very  quietly,  and  leave  me  to  fight  their  battle.  MacQueen  has 
essentially  served  the  cause.  Gladstone,  Lord  Seaford,  and  John  Irving 
have  served  it ;  and  there  ends,  pretty  nearly,  the  catalogue  of  West 
Indian  proprietors  who  have  so  much  as  lifted  up  a  finger  for  us. 

"  Excuse  my  thus  troubling  you,  but  I  really  am  so  pressed,  so  over- 
done, that  I  must  press  on  others.  Every  proposition  is  brought  to  me ; 
every  step  taken  I  am  obliged  to  act  in." 

At  this  time  the  idea  began  to  gain  ground  of  removing  the 
prohibitory  duties  on  slave-grown  sugar.  The  Duchess  of 
Sutherland  having  written  to  Sir  Fowell  Buxton  to  inquire  his 
opinions  vith  regard  to  this  proposition,  he  replied  as  follows  : — 

"  I  lose  no  time  in  replying  to  the  letter  which  your  Grace  has  done 
me  the  honour  to  address  to  me.  I  can  have  no  hesitation  in  saying, 
that  in  uy  opinion  the  best  and  wisest  course  which  we  can  pursue  is 
to  enforce  the  prohibitory  duties  against  slave-grown  sugar,  that  is, 
against  .he  sugars  of  Cuba  and  Brazil.  It  seems  to  me  to  be  one  of 
those  questions  in  which  ordinary  rules  are  to  be  disregarded,  and  in 
which  considerations  of  political  advantage  must  be  made  to  yield  to 
the  superior  law  of  moral  duty.  We  cannot  admit  the  produce  of  Cuba 
and  Brazil  into  home  consumption  without  giving  a  vast  impulse  to  the 
growth  of  sugar  in  those  countries,  or,  in  other  words,  without  giving 
the  strongest  encouragement  to  the  slave-trade.  The  question  then  pre- 
sents iself  in  this  form.  Shall  England,  which  has  hitherto  been  the 
only  hope  of  Africa — which  has  cheerfully  paid  twenty  millions  for  the 
emancipation  of  her  own  slaves — which  has,  as  some  of  us  think,  derived 
more  true  glory  from  this  than  from  Trafalgar  and  Waterloo — shall  this 
England,  which  has  hitherto  thought  no  labour  and  no  sacrifices  too 
grea  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  special  object,  now  turn  round, 
and  )y  a  single  act  do  more  for  the  promotion  of  the  slave-trade  than  it 
has  ever  done  for  its  suppression,  and  be  the  very  means  of  pouring 
dovn  upon  Africa  a  more  aggravated  load  of  misery,  ruin,  crime,  and 
desolation  than  she  has  ever  yet  endured  ?  I  cannot  think  that  it  will 
te  for  a  moment  pretended  that  we  should  be  justified  on  principle  in 
taking  this  course  ;  and  if  this  be  true,  such  a  course  cannot,  in  the  long 
run,  prosper.  A  temporary  relief,  no  doubt,  the  country  may  obtain  ; 
but  at  what  a  cost !  Such  base  inconsistency  would  tarnish  the  character 
of  the  country  in  the  eyes  of  the  civilized  world.  Our  high  professions, 
our  appeals  to  other  nations,  calling  upon  them  to  relinquish,  from  fear 
to  God  and  in  pity  to  a  quarter  of  the  human  race,  the  iniquitous  gains 
of  the  slave-trade — the  boast  we  have  made  of  superior  humanity — all 


440  SLAVE-GROWN  SUGAR.  [CHAP.  xxx. 

these  would  be  held  up  against  us  in  mockery  when  the  world  should 
perceive  that  for  the  sake  of  revenue,  and  for  the  sake  of  effecting  some 
reduction  in  the  price  of  an  article  of  consumption,  we  have  resolved, 
with  our  eyes  open,  to  do  that  which  must  necessarily  produce  an  in- 
crease of  the  very  trade  which  we  have  hitherto  pretended  to  detest- 
But  we  shall  lose  more  than  reputation.  We  shall  forfeit  His  favour 
who  rules  the  destinies  of  nations.  Enlightened  as  this  country  is  on 
the  subject  of  the  slave-trade,  and  knowing  well  thai  guilt  upon  the 
largest  scale,  and  to  the  most  intense  degree,  inseparably  cleaves  to  it, 
I  can  conceive  no  national  crime  which  would  be  darker,  or  more  likely 
to  call  down  the  vengeance  of  God,  than  for  us  to  become  now,  know- 
ingly, parties  to  the  extension  of  that  traffic.  President  Jefferson,  him- 
self a  slaveholder,  speaking  of  slavery,  said,  '  I  tremble  for  n:y  country 
when  I  remember  that  God  is  just.'  When  Great  Britain  shall  have 
been  bribed  to  give  direct  encouragement  to  the  trade  in  human  flesh, 
shall  we  not  have  reason  to  fear  that  such  a  crime — attended,  as  in  our 
case  it  would  be,  by  such  consummate  hypocrisy — would  bring  down 
upon  the  nation  some  heavy  chastisement  ?  These  are  the  leading  con- 
siderations which  present  themselves  to  my  mind,  but  there  an  others 
which  must  not  be  lost  sight  of.  There  seems  good  reason  to  believe 
that  the  high  price  of  sugar  is  but  a  temporary  evil.  I  think  we  may 
reasonably  expect  that  many  of  the  difficulties  which  have  hitherto  ex- 
isted in  the  West  Indies  will  cease,  and  we  may  hope  that  the  islands 
will  not  continue  to  suffer  from  unfavourable  seasons.  Again,  tha  quan- 
tity of  sugar  coming  from  the  East  Indies  is  increasing  every  diy,  and 
will  without  doubt  go  far  towards  the  reduction  of  prices.  As  a  question 
of  pure  policy,  would  it  not  be  better  to  give  an  impulse  to  the  growth 
of  sugar  in  our  own  territories  in  the  East  and  West  Indies,  tkan  to 
confer  such  a  bonus  on  Cuba  and  Brazil  ?  Another  point  shouM  be 
borne  in  mind.  The  Government  cannot  pretend  that  they  are  tHven 
by  necessity,  and  the  overwhelming  voice  of  the  country,  to  dispense 
with  the  prohibitory  duties.  There  have  been,  I  take  it,  no  demonstra- 
tions of  any  great  anxiety  on  the  subject,  on  the  part  of  the  pecple. 
The  noise  that  is  made  is  not  very  loud,  and  it  proceeds  rather  from  the 
merchants  who  want  to  sell  the  Brazilian  sugar  than  from  the  peorlc 
who  want  to  buy  it.  If  the  latter  should  be  laid  clearly  before  tic 
public,  and  they  should  be  made  really  sensible  that  they  can  only  obtain 
foreign  sugar  through  the  medium  of  the  slave-trade,  they  would  not 
call  upon  the  Government  to  instigate  such  crimes,  and  to  multiply  such 
horrors  as  they  know  belong  to  the  slave-trade,  for  their  relict.  Whou 
we  proposed  the  abolition  of  slavery,  it  was  tauntingly  said,  '  The  public 
are  your  friends  now  ;  but  tell  them  they  shall  have  their  will,  slavery 
shall  cease,  but  they  shall  pay  for  it,  and  you  will  hear  no  more  of  anti- 


1840.]  SLAVE-GROWN  SUGAR.  441 

slavery  meetings  and  petitions.'  Slavery  was  abolished,  and  a  tremen- 
dous mulct  was  thereby  imposed  upon  the  people  of  England  ;  and  it 
must  ever  be  remembered,  to  their  honour,  that  not  one  petition  was 
presented  against  it  while  the  measure  was  in  progress,  and  not  a  murmur, 
as  authenticated  by  any  public  remonstrance  or  petition,  has  since  been 
hoard.  I  must  now  conclude  this  long  letter.  You  have  called  me  to 
write  upon  a  subject  in  which  I  feel  the  most  intense  interest,  for  it  is 
palpable  that,  if  we  once  consent  to  the  admission  of  slave-grown  sugar, 
there  is  an  end  to  every  hope  for  unhappy  Africa.  All  our  past,  sacri- 
fices of  money  and  of  the  lives  of  our  sailors  are  rendered  worse  than 
useless  and  the  bright  expectation  in  which  we  have  indulged  of  seeing 
a  new  day  dawn  upon  a  hundred  millions  of  our  fellow-creatures,  and  of 
the  spread  of  peace,  of  knowledge,  and  of  Christianity,  amongst  them, 
proves  but  an  idle  and  disappointing  dream." 

TO  EDWARD  N.  BUXTOX,  ESQ. 

"Northrepps  Hall,  Oct.  1840. 

"  You  talk  about  '  idle  people  shooting  in  the  country.'  I  beg  to  say 
this  docs  not  apply  to  me,  as  my  secretary  could  tell  you.  He  has  just 
groaned  out  to  me,  that  in  five  days  last  week  he  despatched  eighty-eight 
letters  of  mine,  and  some  of  them  very  lengthy,  and  a  very  great  majority 
connected  with  the  slave-trade." 

The  motto  of  the  Buxton  family  had  been,  "  Whatever  thy 
hand  fincleth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might."  Of  this  lengthy  but 
appropriate  sentence  he  retained  only  the  last  clause  ;  and  "  Do 
it  with  thy  might"  was  the  motto  attached  to  the  arms  which  he 
bore  as  a  baronet.  "  But  I  do  not  think,"  he  writes  to  a  friend, 
"  my  motto  and  I  square  well  together  now-a-days.  I  have  no 
'might,'  nor  energy,  nor  pluck,  nor  anything  of  that  sort;  and 
this  kind  of  listlessness  reaches  even  to  my  two  pet  pursuits — 
negroes  and  partridges.  In  short,  I  feel  myself  changed  in  almost 
everything." 

As  the  time  for  the  departure  of  the  vessels  was  now  drawing 
near,  he  became  anxious  that  a  day  of  prayer  should  be  appointed 
for  the  safety  and  success  of  an  expedition  which  would  be  ex- 
posed to  so  many  dangers.  "  Pray  do  not  let  us  lose  sight  of 
this,"  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Coates,  then  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  ;  "  never  was  there  a  case  which 
more  required  the  Divine  blessing." 


442  DAY  OF  PRAYER.  [CHAP.  xxx. 

On  the  same  subject  he  addressed  Sir  John  Jeremie,  the 
Governor  of  the  West  Coast  of  Africa : — 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  Nov.  1,  1840. 

"  It  is  determined  that  a  day  shall  be  set  apart  for  prayer  on  behalf 
of  our  efforts  for  Africa,  and  especially  for  the  safety  and  success  of  the 
expedition.  Sunday,  November  the  8th,  is  the  day  appointed.  I  can 
confidently  say,  that  the  new  Governor  of  Western  Africa  and  his  family 
will  not  be  forgotten.  I  greatly  rejoice  that  this  determination  has  been 
come  to.  Surely,  considering  the  difficulties,  the  perils,  the  prejudices 
at  home,  the  brutal  ignorance  in  Africa ;  considering,  again,  how  many 
brave  and  good  men  are  hazarding  their  lives  in  the  cause  of  humanity 
and  righteousness,  and,  above  all,  reflecting  on  the  mighty  consequences 
which  may,  and  which,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  as  we  hope,  will  follow 
the  combined  effort  we  are  now  making,  I  say,  considering  all  these 
things,  surely  we  have  need  to  crave  Divine  help,  and  the  guidance  of 
more  and  better  than  human  wisdom.  Farewell,  my  dear  friend,  and  be 
God's  blessing  upon  you  and  yours,  for  Christ's  sake." 

TO  J.  J.  GURNEY,  ESQ. 

"Upton,  March  9,  1841. 

"  I  am  staying  here  for  the  morning,  walking  about  with  my  wife, 
and  am  going  to  Hampstead  to  dinner,  when  I  am  to  see,  and  spend 
half  an  hour  with,  our  poor  dear  brother  Hoare.  Have  you  heard  of 
his  truly  elevated  state  of  mind  ?  it  quite  takes  away  the  sting  of  his 
illness.  *  *  * 

"  We  had  a  capital  party  of  the  Niger  officers  and  others  at  the 
Brewery  yesterday — about  thirty  people — Trotter,  Bird  Allen,  Wash- 
ington, Sir  Robert  Inglis,  Acland,  Mrs.  Fry,  among  the  number. 

"  I  know  that  she  (Mrs.  Fry)  is  anxious  to  visit  the  crew  on  board 
the  '  Albert.'  I  have  therefore  fixed  with  Trotter  that  he  shall  receive 
a  good  party  of  us  on  board  his  vessel  on  Friday  the  19th.  Now  I  very, 
very  much  hope  that  you  will  come  too.  Do  not  let  anything  stop  you. 
Our  one  hope  for  the  expedition  is,  that  the  blessing  of  our  Lord  may 
go  along  with  them  ;  and  the  desire  of  all  of  us  must  be,  that  those 
vessels  may  never  be  permitted  to  leave  this  shore  unless  the  presence 
of  the  Lord  be  with  them." 

He  several  times  minutely  inspected  the  vessels  fitted  out  for 
the  expedition,  which  were  then  lyini>  in  the  river;  and  lie  \vas 
one  of  the  party  which  waited  upon  H.  R.  H.  Prince  Albert, 
when  he  visited  them  on  the  23rd  of  March. 


1841.]        PRINCE  ALBERTS  VISIT  TO  THE  VESSELS.  443 

TO  MISS  GUENEY. 

"Leamington,  April  1,  1841. 

"  Now  I  must  tell  you  about  Prince  Albert's  visit  to  the  vessels.  I 
went  an  hour  before  he  was  expected,  and  found  everything  in  the  most 
perfect  order,  and  the  officers  in  full  dress.  Trotter  looked  remarkably 
well  in  his  uniform,  and  I  was  glad  to  have  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
him  actually  engaged  in  the  command  of  his  people.  At  the  appointed 
time  two  carriages  and  four  drove  on  to  the  quay,  containing  Prince 
Albert,  Mr.  Anson,  Major  Keppel  (our  late  member  for  Norfolk),  and 
half-a-dozen  others.  I  was  upon  the  quarter-deck,  and  Professor  Airy 
with  me,  near  the  steps,  which  the  Prince  immediately  came  up.  He 
greeted  me  with  the  most  good-natured  familiarity,  and  expressed  his 
pleasure  at  seeing  me  '  on  board  my  fleet.'  He  then  closely  examined 
everything,  and  seemed  to  take  great  delight  in  the  whole  concern,  and 
to  understand  mechanics.  He  was  especially  delighted  with  a  buoy 
fixed  ready  at  the  stern  of  the  ship  to  be  let  down  at  a  moment's  notice. 
It  contained  a  light  which  (at  least  they  said  so)  water  only  inflamed. 
This  was  for  the  purpose  of  saving  any  one  who  might  happen  to  fall 
overboard  at  night.  I  said  to  Keppel,  not  intending  the  Prince  should 
hear  me  (which  however  he  did),  '  I  wish  his  Royal  Highness  would 
order  one  of  his  suite,  yourself,  for  example,  to  be  thrown  overboard, 
that  we  might  save  your  life  by  this  apparatus.'  The  Prince  took  up 
the  idea,  and  seemed  half  inclined  to  set  Keppel  a  swimming,  in  order 
that  we  might  have  the  gratification  of  the  salvage.  After  examining 
everything  in  the  '  Albert,'  the  boat  came  alongside ;  the  Prince  and 
six  of  his  attendants  got  in,  and  I  was  also  invited,  and  was  not  very  far 
from  having  reason  to  regret  the  honour.  The  wind  was  blowing  hard, 
and  the  tide  rolling  along  at  its  full  force.  Our  sailors  were  not  accus- 
tomed to  the  navigation  of  the  Thames,  so  the  tide  ran  away  with  us, 
and  dashed  us  with  considerable  violence  against  a  yacht  at  anchor,  the 
'  William  and  Mary.'  We  got  entangled  amongst  the  ropes  attached 
to  her  anchor,  and  a  cry  was  raised  from  the  vessels,  '  You  will  be 
dragged  over,  lie  down  ! '  Down  went  his  Royal  Highness  flat  to  the 
bottom  of  the  boat,  and  without  ceremony  we  all  bundled  down  too. 
As  it  was,  the  rope  scraped  along  my  back.  When  we  got  clear,  the 
Prince  sprang  up,  laughing  heartily  at  the  adventure,  saying,  '  I  have 
had  one  ducking  before  this  year,  when  I  fell  through  the  ice,  and  I 
thought  we  were  going  to  have  a  second  of  a  much  worse  kind.'  The 
alarm  felt  on  board  the  vessels  at  our  situation  was  very  considerable; 
and  Bird  Allen  had  ordered  his  boats  to  be  lowered. 

"  After  visiting  the  two  other  vessels,  the  Prince  took  leave  of  Trotter 
and  the  company,  and  expressed  himself  highly  pleased  with  what  he 
had  seen." 


444  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.        [CHAP.  xxx. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1841,  Captain  Trotter  and  Commander 
William  Allen  sailed  for  the  Niger  with  the  Albert  and  Wilber- 
force,  the  Soudan  having  put  to  sea  a  few  weeks  earlier.  It 
need  not  be  said  that  this  event  was  one  full  of  the  deepest  inte- 
rest to  Sir  Fowell.  His  prayers  were  indeed  fervent  for  the 
success  of  the  expedition,  and  the  welfare  of  its  gallant  com- 
manders and  crews ;  and,  though  deeply  impressed  by  the  risks 
they  were  about  to  incur,  his  unshaken  confidence  in  the  presence 
and  providence  of  God  did  not  fail  him  now.  The  chief  source 
of  apprehension  lay  in  the  deadly  climate ;  but  against  its  dangers 
every  human  precaution  had  been  taken.  The  ships  were  to 
steam  as  rapidly  as  possible  through  the  mouths  of  the  rivers, 
where  the  miasma  chiefly  prevails.  Dr.  Reid  had  invented  a 
system  of  ventilation  by  which  a  constant  current  of  air,  impreg- 
nated with  chloride  of  lime,  could,  by  the  agency  of  the  steam- 
engines,  be  maintained  through  all  parts  of  the  vessels ;  a  large 
proportion  of  the  crews  were  natives  of  Africa,,  and  the  medical 
staff  was  remarkably  able  and  efficient.  With  these  precautions 
— the  whole  expedition,  also,  being  under  the  command  of  so 
able  and  judicious  a  man,  whose  eminent  qualifications  had 
pointed  him  out  for  this  responsible  office — it  was  confidently 
hoped  that  all  the  perils  which,  it  was  well  known,  were  insepa- 
rable from  such  an  undertaking  might  be  passed  through  with 
safety. 

With  reference  to  the  expedition,  Sir  Fowell  frequently  re- 
peated Cowper's  lines : — 

"  Heaven  speed  the  canvass,  gallantly  unfurled, 
To  furnish  and  accommodate  a  world ; 
To  give  the  pole  the  produce  of  the  sun, 
And  knit  th'  unsocial  climates  into  one. 
Soft  airs  and  gentle  heavings  of  the  wave, 
Impel  the  fleet,  whose  errand  is  to  save, 
To  succour  wasted  regions,  and  replace 
The  smile  of  opulence  in  sorrow's  face. 
Let  nothing  adverse,  nothing  unforeseen, 
Impede  the  bark  that  ploughs  the  deep  serene, 
Charged  with  a  freight  transcending  in  its  worth 
The  gems  of  India,  nature's  rarest  birth  ; 
That  flies,  like  Gabriel,  on  his  Lord's  commands, 
A  herald  of  God's  love  to  Pagan  lands." 


1841.]  LETTER  TO  CAPTAIN  TROTTER.  445 

On  the  evening  before  the  ships  sailed,  Sir  Fowell  wrote  to 
Captain  Trotter  from  Leamington  : — 

"April  13,  1841. 

"  My  dear  Friend, — Once  more  I  bid  you  farewell.  I  need  not,  I 
am  sure,  repeat  to  you  the  extreme  interest  with  which  I  shall  follow 
you,  nor  the  earnest  prayers  which  my  heart  will  pour  forth  for  your 
welfare  and  prosperity.  You  will  find  all  that  I  feel  at  this  time,  re- 
garding you  and  your  whole  party,  in  the  121st  Psalm.  May  I  beg  you 
to  convey  to  Captain  W.  Allen,  Lieutenants  Fishbourne  and  Strange, 
Dr.  MacWilliam,  and  indeed  to  each  of  your  officers,  my  very  best 
wishes  and  regards. 

"  *  *  *  With  my  best  regards,  and  with  the  sympathy  of  us  all  for 
Mrs.  Trotter,  I  once  more  crave  that  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  may  be 
with  you  in  your  mission  of  peace  and  mercy. 

"  Yours  ever,  most  faithfully, 

"  T.  FOWELL  BUXTON. 

"  P.S.  April  14. — How  ardently  I  trust  that  you  are  steaming  away 
to  your  satisfaction  this  blowing  day  !  The  expression  is  often  on  my 
lips,  and  always  in  my  heart, — 

'  Soft  airs  and  gentle  heavings  of  the  wave, 
Impel  the  bark,  whose  errand  is  to  save.'  " 


446  CORRESPONDENCE.  [CHAP.  xxxi. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

1841. 

Correspondence  —  Journey  to  Scotland  —  Deer-Stalking  —  Return  Home  — 
Good  News  from  the  Niger  Expedition  —  Account  of  its  Progress  — 
Scenery  of  the  Niger  —  Treaty  concluded  with  Obi  —  His  Intelligence 
and  Courage  —  The  Attah  of  Eggarah  —  Sickness  appears  on  board  — 
The  Model  Farm  —  The  Soudan  and  Wilberforce  sent  down  the  River  — 
The  news  reaches  England  —  Distress  of  Sir  Powell  Buxton  —  The 
Albert  proceeds  up  the  River  —  Dense  Population  —  Agricultural  Pro- 
duce in  the  Markets  —  Some  Slaves  liberated  —  The  Nufis  —  Increased 
Sickness  on  board  the  Albert  —  It  returns  to  the  Sea  —  Perilous  Descent 
of  the  River  —  Mortality  on  board  —  Death  of  Captain  Bird  Allen  — 
Opinions  of  the  Commissioners  as  to  the  Expedition. 

THE  departure  of  the  Niger  expedition  from  the  shores  of 
England  left  Sir  Fowell's  mind  comparatively  disengaged. 
Nothing  now  remained  but  to  await  the  issue  of  the  undertaking; 
and  his  broken  health  imperatively  demanding  attention,  he 
stayed  for  some  weeks  at  Leamington  under  the  care  of  Dr. 
Jephson.  From  thence  he  writes  : — 

TO  THE  REV.  DR.  BUNTING  AND  REV.  JOHN  BEECHAM,   SECRETARIES 
L  OF  THE  WESLEYAN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

"Leamington,  April  26,  1841. 

"  My  dear  Friends, — I  regret  much  that  I  shall  be  prevented  by  in- 
disposition from  attending  your  annual  meeting.  Do  me  the  favour  to 
accept  the  enclosed  very  small  and  inadequate  token  of  my  interest  in 
your  missionary  operations,  more  especially  those  connected  with  Africa 
and  the  West  Indies.  May  God's  blessing  rest  upon  all  the  labours  of 
your  Society  :  may  lie  raise  up  for  you  multitudes  of  new  and  generous 
friends!  for  never  was  there  a  time  when  a  greater  necessity  existed 
that  your  hands  should  be  strengthened,  and  that  you  should  be  furnished 
with  the  means  of  embracing  other  and  hitherto  neglected  fields  \\itliin 
the  range  of  your  exertions.  I  must  not  lose  this  opportunity  of  ex- 
pressing the  deep  sense  I  entertain  of  the  benefits  which  our  Society 
for  the  Extinction  of  the  Slave  Trade  and  Civilization  of  Africa  has 


1841.]  ASSISTANCE  TO  MISSIONARY  LABOURS.  447 

received  from  the  active  and  cordial  co-operation  which  each  of  you  has 
afforded." 

TO  THE  SAME. 

"  I  read  with  deep  interest  to  my  family  yesterday  evening  the  mis- 
sionary notices  of  your  society.  I  hardly  know  how  to  express  the 
pleasure  I  felt  at  the  self-devotion  and  courage  of  your  labourers,  in 
Jamaica  especially.  These  passages  have  wrung  from  me,  against  my 
determination,  the  enclosed  50/.  Give  me  leave  to  say,  that  that  shall 
not  prevent  me  from  responding  in  my  humble  way  to  any  call  you  may 
make  on  behalf  of  Africa." 

"  With  this  great  object  in  view,"  writes  Mr.  Trew,  "  whatever 
efforts  were  made  by  the  Missionary  Societies  met  with  the  most  prompt 
and  generous  support  from  Sir  Fowell.  The  only  question  he  asked 
was,  '  Are  these  men  the  servants  of  the  Most  High  God  ?  Do  they 
desire  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity  to  preach  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified,  and  to  labour  for  good  to  the  bodies  and  souls  of  the  poor 
benighted  Africans  ?  '  Once  assured  of  this,  his  heart  and  hand  were 
ever  ready  to  help  them.  It  was  not  that  he  undervalued  the  agency  of 
the  Church  to  which  he  belonged  ;  to  efforts  made  by  her  individual 
members  he  responded  with  surpassing  liberality.  But  in  his  view  of 
the  miseries  which  afflicted  Africa,  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost  in 
waiting.  His  maxim  was,  '  Dum  Roma  deliberat  Saguntum  perit;'  and 
under  this  conviction  he  lived,  and  enlarged  the  bounds  of  his  Christian 
benevolence." 

"While  on  a  short  visit  to  Matlock  he  writes  to  Mrs.  John- 
ston : — 

"May  4,  1841. 

"  The  thing  that  has  most  interested  me,  and  has  awakened  many  old 
and  slumbering  feelings,  is  the  circumstance  that  thirty-nine  years  ago 
I  spent  a  Sunday  here  with  the  Gurneys,  on  our  excursion  to  the  Lakes 
before  H.  and  I  were  engaged.  Could  we  then  have  drawn  aside  the 
curtain,  and  have  seen  what  we  should  be  on  our  next  visit  to  Matlock 
— our  youngest  child  with  us  on  the  point  of  entering  Cambridge — let- 
ters in  our  pockets  from  two  of  our  married  children,  speaking,  in  most 
pleasant  terms,  of  their  sons  and  daughters ;  could  we  also  have  been 
aware  that  in  the  interim  I  had  spent  nearly  twenty  years  in  Parliament, 
and  that  the  gracious  Lord  had  blessed  my  efforts  with  regard  to  slavery 
and  the  slave-trade; — could  we,  I  say,  in  the  former  period  have  real- 
ized what  we  should  be  nearly  forty  years  after,  how  strange  but  yet 
cheering  would  have  been  the  peep  into  futurity  !  and  now  looking  back 
through  this  long  series  of  years,  1  am  constrained  to  confess  that '  good- 
ness and  mercy  have  followed  me  all  the  days  of  my  life.'  " 


448  VISIT  TO  SCOTLAND.  [CHAP.  xxxi. 

His  health  having  been  in  a  great  degree  restored  under  Dr. 
Jephson's  care,  he  agreed  to  join  his  son,  and  his  nephew,  Mr. 
Edmund  Buxton,  at  a  moor  they  had  taken  in  the  north  of  Scot- 
land. Being  surrounded  by  a  cheerful  party,  the  month  he  spent 
in  the  wild  seclusion  of  Ausdale,  a  little  shooting-lodge  near  the 
top  of  the  Ord  of  Caithness,  proved  a  time  of  peculiar  pleasure 
and  refreshment  to  him.  Towards  the  end  of  his  stay  there  he 
writes  to  his  younger  sons  : — 

"Ausdale,  Sept,  6,  1841. 

"  To-morrow  morning  we  leave  Caithness,  and  expect  to  reach  Lon- 
don about  the  25th  instant.  Everything  here  marks  that  our  visit  has 
come  to  its  natural  conclusion.  In  the  first  place,  all  the  grouse  are 
killed.  We  may  go  out  for  half  a  day  and  not  see  above  a  brace ;  and 
then  our  tea,  our  wine,  our  marmalade,  our  currant  jelly,  our  novel,  are, 
some  of  them  quite,  and  the  rest  all  but,  out.  We  have  very  much 
enjoyed  being  here.  Nothing  can  have  been  more  harmonious  and  one- 
minded  than  our  party.  We  have  lived  in  luxury,  and,  in  one  respect, 
have  fared  like  savages,  for  our  next  day's  ^dinner  has  been  playing  in 
the  stream,  or  roving  in  the  forest." 


Sir  Fowell  Buxton  now  returned  to  Northrepps.  The  season 
was  advancing,  and  every  week  increased  the  anxiety  with  which 
tidings  of  the  Niger  Expedition  were  looked  for.  At  length 
they  arrived,  dated  "  August  20,  River  Niger,"  and  were  of  the 
most  encouraging  character.  "  With  two  exceptions,"  said 
Captain  Trotter,  "  the  whole  company  is  in  good  health." 
"  This,"  writes  Sir  Fowell,  "  I  think  highly  satisfactory,  and 
may  God  in  his  mercy  grant  that  we  may  continue  to  hear  such 
favourable  reports !  I  am,  I  confess,  not  devoid  of  anxiety." 

He  thus  replies  to  Captain  Trotter's  letter  : — 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  Nov.  12,  1841. 

"  I  must  write  a  few  lines,  if  it  be  only  to  assure  you  that  my  anxiety 
is  unabated  to  hear  tidings  of  the  Expedition,  and  more  especially  to 
hear  about  yourself,  Captains  William  and  Bird  Allen,  and  Cook.  I 
was  going  to  add  Lieutenant  Fishbourne  ;  but  I  may  as  well  say  at  once, 
all  the  officers  and  all  the  crews.  I  believe  I  should  hardly  exaggerate 
if  I  should  say  that  while  engaged  in  our  family  devotions  I  have  never, 
or  at  all  events  most  rarely,  neglected  to  oft'er  up  my  prayers  for  the 
safety  of  you  all,  for  the  success  of  the  Expedition,  and  for  the  out- 


1841.]  SCENERY  OF  THE  NIGER.  449 

pouring  of  God's  grace  upon  Africa.  I  trust  and  I  believe  that  I  am 
but  one  of  many  thousands  with  whom  these  things  form  a  subject  of 
daily  and  heartfelt  prayer." 

The  history  of  the  Niger  Expedition  is  so  closely  associated 
with  that  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  that  it  may  not  be 
deemed  irrelevant  to  give  a  short  account  of  its  progress,  its 
fair  promise  of  success,  and  its  lamentable  reverses,  taken  from 
the  Parliamentary  papers  and  despatches,  and  from  the  published 
accounts  of  Captain  W.  Allen,  .Dr.  Mac  William,  the  Rev.  J. 
F.  Schon,  and  the  Rev.  S.  Crowther. 

The  Niger  Expedition  began  to  ascend  the  Nun  branch  of 
the  river  on  the  20th  of  August,  1841,  that  being  the  season 
recommended  by  Captain  Beecroft,  and  other  gentlemen  well 
acquainted  with  the  subject.*  Every  one  was  in  the  highest 
spirits,  cheered  by  the  novelty  and  beauty  of  the  scenery,  and 
by  the  exhilarating  feeling  of  the  air,  which  appeared  perfectly 
salubrious  ;  and  it  was  difficult  to  imagine  that  it  could  be  other- 
wise. After  Sunday  Island,  where  the  influence  of  the  tides 
gives  place  to  the  constant  downward  current  of  the  river,  a 
marked  change  took  place  in  the  scenery.  The  banks  began  to 
be  slightly  elevated  above  the  water,  and,  instead  of  the  man- 
grove, a  variety  of  beautiful  palms  and  other  trees  formed  a  forest 
so  dense,  that,  for  upwards  of  100  miles  (except  where  spots 
were  cleared  for  cultivation),  the  eye  could  not  penetrate  more 
than  a  few  yards  beyond  the  water's  edge.  These  cleared  spots, 
containing  yams,  cocoas,  cassadas,  Indian  corn,  plantains,  and 
occasionally  sugar-cane,  began  to  appear  immediately  after 
leaving  Sunday  Island,  and  gradually  became  more  frequent. 
Solitary  huts  were  now  succeeded  by  clusters,  and  clusters  of 
huts  by  villages,  the  villages  became  larger  and  more  populous; 
while  the  natives  showed  themselves  less  timid,  and  often  came 
off  in  their  canoes  to  hold  intercourse  with  the  ships.  Their 
timidity,  at  first,  had  been  great,  but  their  disposition  was  inva- 
riably friendly.  For  the  first  50  miles  there  was  little  appear- 
ance of  trade ;  but  afterwards  large  canoes  were  seen  carrying 
palm-oil,  destined  for  Brass  town  and  Bonny. |  The  expedition 

*  Captain  Trotter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty.— Parl.   Papers 
relative  to  the  Niger  Expedition,  p.  47. 
f  Captain  Trotter's  Report:   P.  P.,  p.  90. 

2G 


450  VISIT  TO  ABOH.  [CHAP.  xxxr. 

continued  its  course  every  day,  resting,  however,  on  the  Sunday, 
"  as  the  frequent  shoaling-  of  the  water  subjected  the  engineers 
and  stokers  to  great  exhaustion,  and  rendered  the  husbanding  of 
their  strength  imperatively  necessary."  * 

On  the  26th  of  August  all  the  vessels  had  reached  Aboh ;  and 
on  the  following  morning  Obi,  the  chief  of  the  Ibo  country,  came 
on  board  the  Albert,  accompanied  by  several  of  his  family  and 
head-men.  The  objects  of  the  Expedition,  as  well  as  each  article 
of  the  treaty,  were  then  fully  explained  to  him  by  an  intelligent 
interpreter  from  Sierra  Leone  ;  and  the  commissioners  were  ex- 
ceedingly pleased  with  the  intelligence,  judgment,  and  apparent 
sincerity  of  Obi's  remarks.  The  momentary  opposition  elicited 
by  some  of  the  articles  only  tended  to  show  how  clearly  he  under- 
stood the  objects  of  the  treaty.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the 
substance  of  his  frequent  interruptions  was,  that  if  he  abolished 
the  slave-trade  his  people  must  have  some  occupation  by  which 
to  obtain  subsistence,  and  that  he,  therefore,  wished  plenty  of 
ships  to  be  sent  to  trade  with  him.f  He  came  without  any  pomp 
or  state.  With  the  exception  of  his  dress,  which  was  a  British 
scarlet  uniform  coat  and  scarlet  cloth  trousers,  his  appearance 
was  more  that  of  a  keen  trader  than  of  a  sovereign  chief  of  an 
extensive  country.  His  manner,  however,  though  friendly  and 
unceremonious,  showed  a  consciousness  of  power,  and  his  attend- 
ants treated  him  with  marked  respect. J  His  appearance  is 
described  as  prepossessing  ;  he  was  upwards  of  six  feet  high, 
and  stout  in  proportion :  his  forehead  was  large,  and  his  counte- 
nance generally  indicated  acute  perception. 

"  An  instance  of  his  firmness,"  says  Dr.  MacWilliam,  "  was  shown 
one  day  on  board  of  the  Albert :  while  he  was  engaged  with  the  com- 
missioners, I  was  amusing  his  brother  and  some  of  the  head-men  by 
performing  some  experiments  with  Smee's  galvanic  battery.  Obi  came 
up  to  us  just  as  the  instrument  was  fitted  for  giving  shocks  :  Anorama, 
the  judge,  a  little  man,  touched  the  cylinders  at  the  end  of  the  conduct- 
ors, and,  as  the  battery  was  at  the  moment  acting  rather  powerfully,  he 
dropped  them  with  rapidity  and  would  not  again  come  near.  Most  of 
the  others  looked  upon  this  new  and  extraordinary  agent  with  suspicion 
and  awe:  even  Obi  himself  stooped  somewhat  doubtingly  to  take  the 

*  Captain  Trotter's  Report :  P.  P.,  p.  91. 

f  Despatch  from  the  Commissioners:  P.  P.,  pp.  32,  33. 

j  Captain  Trotter's  Report :  P.  P.,  p.  92. 


1841.]  VISIT  TO  ABOH.  451 

shock;  but  he  seemed  determined  to  show  no  signs  of  irresolution  or  fear 
before  his  people.  He  took  a  firm  grasp  of  the  cylinders,  and  held  them 
upwards  of  a  minute,  although  I  could  perceive  the  muscles  of  the  shoulder 
and  chest  in  strong  electric  excitation."* 

Mr.  Schori,  the  chaplain,  tells  us  that — 

"  The  Ibos  arc,  in  their  way,  a  religious  people ;  the  word  '  Tshuku,' 
God,  is  continually  heard.  Their  notions  of  some  of  the  attributes  of 
the  Supreme  Being  are,  in  many  respects,  correct,  and  their  manner 
of  expressing  them  striking :  '  God  has  made  everything;  he  made  both 
white  and  black,'  is  continually  on  their  lips.  On  the  death  of  a  person 
who  has,  in  their  estimation,  been  good,  they  say,  '  He  will  see  God,' 
while  of  a  wicked  person  they  say,  '  He  will  go  into  fire.'  f  I  opened 
the  English  Bible,  and  made  Simon  Jonas  read  a  few  verses,  and  trans- 
late them  into  Ibo.  Obi  was  uncommonly  taken  with  this.  That  a 
white  man  could  read  and  write,  was  a  matter  of  course  ;  but  that  a 
black  man — an  Ibo  man — a  slave  in  times  past — should  know  these  won- 
derful things  too,  was  more  than  he  could  have  anticipated.  He  seized 
Simon's  hand,  squeezed  it  most  heartily,  and  said,  '  You  must  stop  with 
me ;  you  must  teach  me  and  my  people ;'  and  he  would  not  be  satisfied 
until  Simon  had  made  his  desire  known  to  Captain  Trotter.  This  desire 
proves  the  sincerity  of  his  heart  to  perform  the  terms  of  the  treaty  into 
which  he  had  entered.  If  he  had  any  intention  of  evading  them,  he 
would  not  have  expressed  a  desire  to  have  a  person  about  him  who  un- 
derstands his  own  language,  can  watch  over  all  his  proceedings,  and 
who,  as  he  well  knows,  will  join  the  Expedition  again,  and  will  be  able 
to  make  his  report  to  the  commissioners  of  Obi's  conduct. " J  "Jonas 
was  accordingly  left  at  Aboh  for  a  few  weeks,  during  which  time  no  less 
than  two  thousand  children  were  committed  to  him  for  instruction."  § 

The  huts  at  Aboh  were  in  general  raised  some  feet  from  the 
ground,  resting  either  upon  an  elevation  of  clay,  or  supported  on 
strong  wooden  pillars  from  four  to  eight  feet  high.  In  the  latter 
case,  access  to  the  hut  was  gained  by  a  ladder  leading  to  the 
principal  aperture.  They  all  seemed  to  be  remarkably  clean 
and  well  matted.  The  actual  number  of  huts  in  Aboh  was  esti- 

*  Dr.  MacWilliam's  Medical  History,  p.  64.  He  displayed  less  courage 
on  another  occasion.  Prayers  being  about  to  be  read,  he  was  requested  to 
kneel  down.  This  he  did ;  but  when  the  service  concluded,  he  was  found 
almost  overwhelmed  with  terror,  the  perspiration  streaming  down  his  face. 
He  had  thought,  it  seemed,  that  the  white  men  were  invoking  curses  on  his 
head. 

t  Mr.  Schon's  Journal,  p.  50.  J  Ibid.  p.  61. 

§  Ibid.  p.  231. 

2  G2 


452  VISIT  TO  IDDAH.  [CHAP.  xxxi. 

mated  at  from  800  to  1000.*  Obi  had  only  two  large  canoes  in 
use  ;  but  was  said  to  possess  in  all  fifteen,  each  having  a  small 
cannon  lashed  in  the  bow  :  they  had  from  twenty  to  fifty  paddles ; 
and  the  largest  could  carry  twenty  fighting  men.  Besides  these, 
there  were  at  Aboh  about  ten  head-men  who  had  eacli  from  two 
to  six  war  canoes.  On  an  extraordinary  occasion  he  could 
muster  about  300  canoes,  armed  with  swivels  and  muskets.| 

Captain  "William  Allen  (who  had  previously  explored  the 
Niger,  in  1833)  states  that  the  nations  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
as  far  as  Rabba  (500  miles  from  its  mouth)  are  under  the  in- 
fluence of  only  three  powerful  and  independent  chiefs  :  first,  Obi, 
king  of  Ibo ;  secondly,  the  Attah,  or  king  of  Eggarah ;  and 
thirdly,  the  king  of  the  Fulatahs,  at  Rabba. 

The  treaty  having  been  formally  concluded  with  Obi,  for  the 
abolition  of  the  slave-trade  in  his  dominions,  for  the  protection 
and  encouragement  of  legitimate  commerce,  and  for  the  per- 
mission to  missionaries  to  settle  among  his  people,  and  presents 
having  been  given  to  him  as  a  mark  of  good  will,  the  expedition 
proceeded  towards  Iddah,  the  capital  of  Eggarah. 

A  great  change  soon  took  place  in  the  scenery  :  the  banks  of 
the  river  had  hitherto  been  flat ;  but  now  "  elevated  land,"  says 
Mr.  Crowther,  "  was  gradually  peeping  behind  the  thick  bushes 
on  the  banks  of  the  river ;  and  the  faces  of  all  were  bright  at  the 
sight  of  these  long-looked-for  places." 

The  amount  of  cultivation  of  yams,  bananas,  and  plantains 
indicated  more  extensive  habitation  than  had  yet  been  seen,  with 
the  exception  of  Aboh.  At  Iddah,  in  the  kingdom  of  Eggarah, 
the  opposite  shore  is  for  some  way  low,  flat,  and  swampy.  The 
land  behind,  however,  gradually  rises  to  hills  of  considerable 
height,  which  seemed  to  be  richly  wooded.  From  the  anchorage 
(within  200  yards  of  the  cliff)  a  magnificent  range  of  rounded 
and  conical  hills  and  high  table-land  was  seen  in  the  distance, 
stretching  from  north-east  to  south-west,  with  a  dense  forest,  ex- 
tending from  the  table-land  downwards,  through  which  a  series 
of  streams  were  pursuing  curiously  tortuous  courses,  until  they 
joined  the  main  stream  of  the  Niger,  a  short  distance  above  the 
town  of  Iddah.J  Some  of  the  officers  went  into  the  country,  and 

*  Dr.  Mac  William,  p.  61. 

t  Captain  W.  Allen's  Report:  P.  P.,  p.  137. 

I  Dr.  MacWilliam,  p.  70. 


1841.]  ATTAH  OF  EGGARAH.  453 

were  much  pleased  with  its  openness  and  beauty.  Here  and 
there  some  nice  plantations  fenced  in  contained  cassada,  yams, 
pompions,  Indian  corn,  and  sugar-cane,  all  kept  clean,  and  in 
the  best  condition  of  culture.*  The  people  were  found  to  be 
industrious,  and  more  advanced  in  civilisation  than  their  neigh- 
bours lower  clown  the  river:  their  grounds  much  better  culti- 
vated, manufactures  more  encouraged,  and  their  social  comforts 
increasing. f  Mr.  Crowther,  however,  himself  a  negro,  received 
an  unpleasant  impression  of  the  inhabitants  of  Iddah.  "  As  they 
were  rude  in  their  appearance,"  he  says,  "  so  were  they  in  their 
manners,  for  they  made  it  no  matter  of  consideration  whatever 
to  put  their  hands  on  any  part  of  our  dress,  which,  considering 
how  dirty  they  were,  was  not  at  all  agreeable.  *  *  *  If  I  had 
met  with  a  wild  people  before,  this  was  one  of  that  kind."  J 

The  population  of  Iddah  was  calculated  at  about  7000  souls. 
Their  king,  the  Attah  of  Eggarah,  appears  to  have  been  much 
less  intelligent  and  civilised  than  Obi.  A  similar  treaty,  how- 
ever, was  concluded  with  him.  During  the  interview  between 
him  and  the  commissioners  he  now  and  then  made  a  remark, 
and  inquired  about  things  which  at  first  did  not  appear  clear 
to  him ;  and  every  word  he  said,  or  remark  he  made,  fully 
proved  that  he  understood  what  was  said  to  him.§  The  treaty 
was  signed  with  all  due  formality,  in  the  presence  and  with  the 
full  concurrence  of  his  head-men  and  the  principal  people  of 
the  town. ||  "One  of  these,  Lobo  the  chief  judge,  was  a  fine- 
looking  person,  very  handsomely  dressed,"  writes  Captain  W. 
Allen.  "  His  manners  and  appearance  were  indeed  so  dignified 
and  elegant  that  he,  at  least,  could  not  be  classed  among  the 
uncivilised." 

"  Up  to  this  time  (the  conclusion  of  the  treaty  with  the  Attah  of 
Eggarah)  the  Expedition,"  says  Dr.  MacWilliam,  "  had  been  fortu- 
nate beyond  all  expectation.  The  Delta  had  been  passed,  and  we  were 
entering  the  valley  of  the  Niger,  under  circumstances  seemingly  the 
most  auspicious.  The  crews  contemplated  with  delight  the  novel  and 
diversified  scenery  of  the  high  land  before  them.  With  such  prospects, 


*  Capt.  W.  Allen's  and  Dr.  Thomson's  Narrative  of  the  Niger  Expe- 
dition, I.  p.  308.  t  Ibid.  326. 

J  Mr.  Crowther's  Journal,  p.  291.  §  Mr.  Schon,  p.  92. 

||  Despatch  from  the  Commissioners :  P.  P.,  p.  37. 


454  TOWN  OF  ADDA  KUDDU.  [CHAP.  xxxi. 

so  favourable  beyond  all  anticipation,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  if  we 
indulged  a  rather  sanguine  hope  that  the  continuance  of  health  would  be 
granted  to  us,  and  that  we  should,  under  Providence,  thus  be  enabled 
to  persevere  in  the  great  object  of  our  mission.  But  it  was  otherwise 
ordained."* 

On  the  4th  of  September  fever  of  a  most  malignant  character 
broke  out  in  the  Albert,  and  almost  simultaneously  in  the  other 
vessels.  The  Expedition,  notwithstanding,  proceeded  towards 
the  confluence  of  the  Niger  and  Tchadda.f 

The  country  was  remarkably  well  cultivated,  and  in  excellent 
order ;  plantains,  yams,  Indian  corn,  and  cotton  being  still  the 
principal  occupants  of  the  soil4  The  villagers  had  large  farms 
of  Guinea  corn,  which  grew  beautifully,  and  did  credit  to  their 
industry. §  The  town  of  Adda  Kuddu  was  found  to  be  in  a 
ruinous  condition,  having  been  destroyed  by  the  Fulatahs.  The 
soil  was  a  rich  vegetable  mould.  Castor  oil,  cotton,  indigo,  and 
other  plants  were  abundant. [|  Mr.  Schon  observed  a  mallam  or 
priest  wearing  a  silk  robe  of  native  manufacture ;  the  weaving 
was  done  remarkably  well ;  the  silk  could  not  weigh  less  than 
seven  or  eight  pounds.^ 

An  agreement  had  already  been  made  with  the  Attah  for  the 
cession  of  land  at  the  confluence  for  a  model  farm.  A  tract  of 
land  was  chosen  near  Mount  Patteh,  where  the  soil,  although 
not  of  the  best  quality,  grew  a  considerable  quantity  of  cotton,** 
and  there  seemed  every  probability  that  coffee  would  grow  on  the 
hills.ff 

The  natives  of  these  parts  were  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  the 
slave-trading  Fulatahs :  but,  as  the  Commissioners  observed — 

"  The  mere  occupation  of  one  or  two  stations  by  a  few  British  sub- 
jects would  have  the  effect  of  establishing  confidence  among  the  natives, 
who,  once  assured  of  the  protecting  care  of  Great  Britain,  would  be 
easily  induced  to  build  up  their  former  habitations,  and  thus  furnish  an 
useful  population,  and  have  a  beneficial  effect  on  the  surrounding 
tribes."  JJ 

*  Dr.  MacWilliam,  p.  74.  f  Captain  Trotter's  Report:  P.  P.,  p.  91. 

J  Mr.  Schon,  p.  106.]  §  Mr.  Crowther,  p.  295. 

||  Dr.  MacWilliam,  |(>.  77.  f  Mr.  Schon,  p.  116. 

**   Despatch  from  tfee  Commissioners:  P.  P.,  p.  41. 

ft  Mr.  Schcin,  p.  US. 

jj  Despatch  from  the  Commissioners:  P.  P.,  p.  41. 


1841.]  CONDUCT  OF  THE  NATIVES.  455 

These  observations  coincided  exactly  with  Mr.  Macqueen's 
opinion  (formed  from  the  reports  of  previous  travellers),  who 
wrote  with  reference  to  a  settlement  at  the  confluence,  that  "  a 
city  built  at  that  point,  under  the  protecting  wings  of  Great 
Britain,  would,  ere  long,  become  the  capital  of  Africa.  Fifty 
millions  of  people,  nay,  even  a  greater  number,  would  be  de- 
pendent on  it."  * 

As  soon  as  the  land  had  been  selected  for  the  model  farm,  the 
people  in  the  vicinity  brought  abundance  of  provisions  to  the 
new  settlement  for  sale,  and  those  who  had  nothing  to  dispose  of 
came  and  hired  themselves  as  labourers  :  nothing  could  exceed 
the  good  feeling  shown  by  the  natives  on  every  occasion. f 
Cotton  cloths  of  good  manufacture,  spun  cotton,  calabashes 
beautifully  carved  and  ornamented,  tobacco,  camwood  balls, 
shea  butter,  dried  buffalo  flesh,  and  dried  fish,  were  brought 
on  board  in  great  quantities.  As  with  most  Africans,  traffic 
seemed  to  be  the  predominant  passion  with  the  people,  with 
a  good  share  of  dexterity  in  turning  a  bargain  to  their  own 
account.J 

"  So  far,"  says  Mr.  Commissioner  Cook,  "  the  object  of  the 
Expedition  had  been  attained,  and  everything  promised  a  favour- 
able termination  to  the  mission."  But  now  the  sickness  on 
board  increased  with  such  appalling  rapidity  that  Captain  Trotter 
deemed  it  advisable  to  send  the  sick  back  to  the  sea  in  the 
Soudan,  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  Fishbourne,  who  displayed 
equal  zeal  and  ability  in  rapidly  bringing  the  vessel  through  the 
difficult  navigation  of  the  river,  notwithstanding  the  disabled 
state  of  the  crew.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Nun,  the  Dolphin, 
Commander  Littlehales,  fortunately  encountered  the  Soudan, 
and  immediately  relieved  her  of  the  sick,  conveying  them  to 
Ascension. 

The  intelligence  that  the  Soudan  had  returned  to  Fernando 
Po,  and  that  nine  men  had  died  of  the  fever,  reached  England  in 
the  beginning  of  December.  It  may  well  be  conceived  how  this 
news  was  felt  by  the  friends  of  the  cause  in  England.  Sir 
Fowell  Buxton  writes  to  his  son : — 


*  Quoted  in  the  '  Slave  Trade,  and  Remedy,'  p.  356. 
f  Mr.  Cook's  Report:  P.  P.,  p.  159.  J  Dr.  MacWilliam,  p.  83. 


456  SORROWFUL  TIDINGS.  [CHAP.  xxxi. 

"  Xorthrepps  Hall,  Dec.  4,  1841. 

"  I  was  very  glad  to  receive  your  letter,  reminding  me  that,  in  such 
a  storm,  there  is  but  one  anchor ;  but  that  one  all  sufficient.  The  blow, 
however,  is  tremendous.  There  is  no  comfort  to  be  found  under  it, 
save  in  the  assurance  that  it  is  the  will  and  the  work  of  our  merciful 
God.  Mysterious  it  certainly  is ;  but  could  we  survey  the  whole,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  we  should  perceive  that  all  was  done  in  true  mercy  and 
never-failing  love.  Our  text  for  the  day  has  been,  '  Therefore  will  we 
not  fear,  though  the  earth  be  removed,  and  though  the  mountains  be 
carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea.'  The  sympathy  of  dear  Catherine's 
letter  was  quite  charming — it  has  been  a  great  comfort  both  to  my  wife 
and  me.  I  think  Sir  Robert  Inglis  could  not  have  done  a  better  thing 
than  asking  the  Bishop  to  prepare  a  prayer  for  us.  How  extremely 
gratified  I  shall  be  if  a  day  is  appointed  for  the  purpose!" 

TO  THE  SAME. 

"December  6,  1841. 

"  Even  now  I  do  not  wish  the  whole  effort  undone.  A  way,  I  firmly 
believe,  is  opened  for  the  missionary  into  the  heart  of  Africa,  and  we 
have  found,  in  some  respects,  greater  facilities  than  we  expected.  And 
is  the  price  we  have  to  pay  so  intolerably  heavy  ?  Is  the  loss  of  nine 
men  enough  to  damp  all  our  zeal,  and  quench  all  our  courage?  Would 
it  have  been  enough,  if  we  had  been  at  war  with  the  French,  or  the 
Americans,  or  even  the  Chinese,  to  stop  us  ?  Would  the  public  feel- 
ing have  been  quite  satisfied  if  it  were  said,  '  Why,  we  have  lost  nine 
men;  we  must  give  over;  it  would  be  madness  to  fight  any  longer!' 
Oh  !  but  war  with  France  is  quite  a  different  case ;  great  national  in- 
terests are  concerned.  And  are  no  interests  concerned  in  the  overthrow 
of  the  slave-trade,  in  the  spread  of  Gospel  light  over  the  darkness  of 
Africa,  in  the  addition  of  a  fourth  quarter  to  the  productions  and  the 
requirements  of  the  world  '?  Not  only  the  interests  of  the  nation,  but 
those  of  human  nature,  are  concerned  in  this  expedition  ;  and  it  is  not  a 
trifle  that  shall  put  us  to  flight.  Perhaps  these  very  calamities  have 
been  sent  in  order  to  try  us,  and  to  ascertain  whether  we  have  faith 
enough,  sufficient  reliance  on  the  promises  of  God  to  hear  our  prayer?, 
and  to  be  near  us  in  our  trials.  It  may  be  that,  after  all,  a  better  day  is 
now  dawning  for  Africa,  and  I  am  disposed  to  believe  that  this  is  the 
fact,  and  that,  if  we  do  our  part  manfully,  we  shall  not  be  defeated,  even 
in  this  very  expedition." 

The  next  tidings  which  reached  England  did  not  confirm  this 
hope.  The  sickness  still  continuing,  Captain  Trotter  was  com- 
pelled, on  the  21st  of  September,  to  direct  the  "Wilberforce  to 


1841.]  SLAVES  LIBERATED.  4." 

follow  the  Soudan  to  the  sea,  whilst  he  and  Captain  Bird  Allen 
pushed  forward  in  the  Albert,  in  hopes  of  reaching  Rabba,  a 
very  large  town,  the  capital  of  the  Fulatahs.  After  leaving  the 
confluence,  the  banks  of  the  river  were  found  to  be  better  peo- 
pled, and  "a  great  many  villages"  were  observed.  In  the 
market-place  of  Gori  were  not  less  than  from  1500  to  2000 
people.  The  articles  exposed  for  sale  were  bags  of  salt  from 
Rabba,  tobes  of  various  colours,  country  cloths,  camwood  in 
balls,  iron-work,  as  hoes  and  shovels,  Indian  corn,  ground  nuts, 
twine,  silk,  seeds  of  various  kinds,  shea  butter,  straw  hats  with 
enormous  brims,  platters  of  wood,  and  calabashes  beautifully 
carved.* 

Mr.  Schon  also  mentions  "  several  large  bags  of  cottgn  in  its 
raw  state."  He  asserts  that  the  price  of  cotton  there  could  not 
be  less  than  in  England ;  but,  he  adds,  "  it  is  true  that  they 
might  grow  ten  thousand  times  the  quantity  they  are  now  grow- 
ing, f  The  trade  of  dyeing  blue  was  carried  on  there  :  the 
blacksmith  was  busy  at  his  anvil,  and  the  grinders  of  the  Guinea 
corn  at  the  stones."! 

The  district  of  Gori  is  dependent  on  the  Attah  of  Eggarah, 
and,  accordingly,  the  treaty  formed  with  him  was  acknowledged 
as  binding  by  the  inhabitants.  Captain  Trotter,  having  found 
there  some  slaves  in  a  canoe,  liberated  them  after  a  formal  trial. 
The  owners  pleaded  ignorance  of  the  new  law,  and  were  there- 
fore suffered  to  retain  the  canoe.  The  poor  slaves  fell  on  their 
knees  to  Captain  Trotter  in  token  of  gratitude  for  their  libera- 
tion. Both  the  owner  of  the  slaves,  and  the  son  of  the  Attah, 
who  attended  the  trial  as  his  father's  representative,  at  once 
acquiesced  in  the  justice  of  Captain  Trotter's  decision. § 

When  some  weeks  afterwards  the  Albert  descended  the  river, 
the  commissioners  found  that  at  Budda,  the  farthest  point  of  the 
Attah's  territory,  he  had  faithfully  proclaimed  the  law  against 
slave-trading : — 

"The  inhabitants,"  says  Mr.  Schbn,  "candidly  admitted  that  Budda 
had  ever  been  a  great  slave-market,  but  said  that  from  the  time  they 
heard  that  the  Attah  abolished  the  slave-trade  they  relinquished  it 


*  Dr.  MacWiHiam,  p.  87.  f  Mr.  Schon,  p.  143. 

t  Mr.  Crowther,  p.  3U5.  §  Captain  Trotter's  Report:  P.P.,  p.  96. 


458  TOWN  OF  EGGA.  [CHAP.  xxxi. 

altogether.  They  were  glad  to  hear  that  an  English  settlement  had 
been  commenced  at  the  confluence,  and  said  that  they  would  go  and 
see  how  white  people  built  houses  and  made  farms :  and  they  would 
settle  near  them  to  be  protected  from  the  Fulatahs.  The  same  desire 
was  expressed  at  Kinami,  a  few  miles  further, — the  first  village  in  the 
Nufi  country,  which  is  tributary  to  the  powerful  and  warlike  Fulutah 
nation,  who  keep  the  Nuns  in  continual  terror.  The  inhabitants  of 
Kinami  are  estimated  at  1000  by  Captain  Trotter.  They  occupy  them- 
selves in  weaving,  and  carry  on  some  trade  with  Egga,  in  country  cloths, 
ivory,  and  bees'  wax." 

The  Albert  reached  Egga,  the  largest  Nufi  town,  on  the  28th 
of  September. 

Some  alarm  was  found  to  have  been  excited  there  by  the  news 
of  the  seizure  of  the  slaves  at  Gori.  But  when  the  nature  of  the 
treaty  under  which  the  seizure  had  taken  place  was  explained  to 
the  Governor,  he  was  quite  satisfied,  and  expressed  himself  de- 
sirous that  the  slave-trade  should  also  be  abolished  in  the  Nufi 
country.*  He,  however,  declined  entering  into  any  treaty  with- 
out the  permission  of  his  superior,  the  king  of  Rabba ;  stating, 
that  he  did  not  think  the  Fulatahs  would  be  willing  to  relinquish 
the  slave-trade^  Mr.  Schon  spoke  very  earnestly  upon  the  sub- 
ject to  a  slave-dealer  in  the  market.  The  man  replied,  "  that 
all  he  said  was  very  true,  and  that,  if  the  king  of  Eabba  would 
make  a  law  against  it,  he  should  be  as  glad  of  it  as  any  person, 
and  that  the  people  in  general  would  willingly  give  it  up." 
"  To  gain  over  the  Fulatahs,"  adds  Mr.  Schon,  "  is  certainly  a 
most  desirable  thing,  as  then  the  axe  would  be  laid  to  the  root 
of  the  slave-trade  in  this  part  of  Africa."  f 

Egga  was  the  largest  town  yet  seen  on  the  banks  of  the  river ; 
the  population  was  reckoned  at  seven  or  eight  thousand. J  The 
people  were  in  general  tall  and  well  made ;  the  form  of  the  head, 
the  countenance,  and  the  lighter  shade  of  the  colour  of  the  skin, 
indicated  an  intermixture  of  the  Caucasian  with  the  Negro 
race.§ 

At  Egga  the  manufacturing  of  country  cloths  was  found  to  be 
the  principal  occupation  of  the  people.  There  were  no  less  than 

*  Captain  Trotter's  Report :  P.  P.,  p.  97. 

f  Mr.  Schon,  p.  178.  J  Ibid.  p.  180. 

§  Dr.  MacWilliam,  p,  92. 


1841.]  NUFI  NATION.  459 

200  looms  employed  in  various  parts  of  the  town,  sometimes  as 
many  as  ten  in  one  place.  The  looms  are  very  simple,  and  the 
cloth  uncommonly  neat,  never  being  wider  than  three  inches : 
some  is  quite  white ;  some  striped,  white,  blue,  and  red.  The 
dye  is  likewise  made  by  themselves :  the  blue  colour  is  made  with 
indigo,  of  which  they  possess  a  large  quantity,  dye-pits  being 
seen  everywhere  ;  the  red  colour  is  obtained  from  camwood.* 
"  The  people  desired  me,"  says  Mr.  Crowther,  "  to  tell  them 
what  kind  of  country  cloth  I  should  like,  that  they  might  get  it 
ready  against  our  coming  this  \vay  again,  "f 

The  cotton  is  purchased  from  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  where 
it  is  said  to  grow  in  great  abundance.  They  commence  planting 
it  after  the  first  fall  of  rain,  and  five  months  afterwards  it  is  fit 
for  use 4 

At  Egga,  Captain  Trotter  had  reached  a  point  320  miles  from 
the  sea.  He  had  accomplished  his  object  with  respect  to  two  of 
the  three  kingdoms  to  which  he  had  been  sent ;  but  he  was  now 
compelled  to  relinquish  his  hope  of  completing  his  work  by 
reaching  the  town  of  Rabba.  "  A  very  little  mediation  on  our 
parts,"  he  observes,  "  might  probably  have  had  the  effect  of 
making  the  Nufi  nation  more  independent,  and  less  oppressed, 
and  have  tended  materially  to  the  diminution  of  the  slave- 
trade.'^  But  the  sickness  on  board  had  become  so  very  alarm- 
ing, that  it  was  found  absolutely  necessary,  on  the  4th  of  Octo- 
ber, to  steam  down  the  river  with  all  speed.  Captain  Bird 
Allen,  who  had  been  most  anxious  to  persevere,  and  in  fact 
almost  all  the  officers  and  men  on  board,  except  the  negroes, 
were  seized  with  the  deadly  fever.  Captain  Trotter  himself  was 
at  length  disabled  by  it :  and  at  this  critical  period  the  engineers 
also  were  too  ill  to  perform  their  duty  !  Dr.  Stanger  (the  geo- 
logist), however,  having  learned  how  to  manage  the  engines 
from  a  scientific  treatise  on  board,  undertook  to  work  them  him- 
self: and  Dr.  Mac  William,  in  addition  to  his  laborious  duties 
in  attending  the  sick,  conducted  the  ship  down  the  river,  with 
the  assistance  of  only  one  white  sailor,  "  in  the  most  able  and 
judicious  manner." 

*  Mr  Schon,  p.  174. 

t  Mr.  Schon,  p.  331.  J  Ibid.  p.  157. 

§  Despatch  from  Captain  Trotter :  P.  P.,  p.  44. 


460  INCREASED  ILLNESS.  [CHAP.  xxxi. 

"  One  of  the  officers,"  writes  Mr.  Schbn  on  the  8th  of  October,  "  is 
apparently  dying ;  many  are  still  suffering ;  and  others,  though  free  from 
fever,  are  in  such  a  state  of  debility  that  they  will  not  be  able  to  do 
duty  for  a  considerable  time.  *  *  *  Nothing  that  I  have  hitherto 
seen  or  felt  can  be  compared  with  our  present  condition."  "  Yet,"  he 
afterwards  adds,  "  there  was  not  one  of  those  whom  I  attended  in  their 
sickness  and  at  their  death,  but  who  knew  perfectly  well  that  the  cli- 
mate of  Africa  was  dangerous  in  the  extreme,  and  had  counted  the  cost 
before  engaging  in  the  hazardous  undertaking.  And,  to  their  honour 
be  it  mentioned,  no  expression  of  disappointment  or  regret  did  I  ever 
hear ;  on  the  contrary,  they  appeared  in  general  to  derive  no  small  con- 
solation from  the  conscious  purity  of  their  motives,  and  the  goodness  of 
the  cause  in  which  they  had  voluntarily  embarked."* 

"  When  the  Albert  approached  the  model  farm,''  says  Dr.  Mac- 
William,  "the  quantity  of  cleared  land  and  the  advance  made  in  the 
building  of  the  superintendent's  house  induced  us  to  hope  that  he  and 
the  two  Europeans  had  been  mercifully  protected  from  disease  ;  but  in 
these  hopes  we  were  doomed  to  disappointment.''! 

Mr.  Carr,  Mr.  Kingdon,  and  Mr.  Ansell  were  all  ill,  and 
had  to  be  taken  on  board.  But  the  negroes,  none  of  whom 
had  suffered  from  the  fever,  were  left  at  the  settlement,  under 
the  care  of  Mr.  Moore,  an  American  negro.  The  Amelia 
schooner  was  left  at  anchor  with  a  black  crew  for  the  protection 
*of  the  settlers.  The  natives  had  shown  a  great  readiness  to 
engage  as  labourers  at  the  model  farm.  "  They  had  been  on  all 
occasions  most  friendly  to  the  settlers,  and  abundance  of  provi- 
sions and  labour  had  been  easily  procured  at  a  moderate  price."J 
Dr.  Mac  William  informs  us  that  when  the  Albert  reached 
Aboh— 

"  Obi  and  his  people  brought  abundance  of  wood,  besides  goats, 
fowls,  yams,  and  plantains.  His  prompt  assistance  to  us  on  this  occa- 
sion was  of  the  highest  importance.  He  is  decidedly  a  fine  character, 
and  assuredly  did  not  discredit  the  high  opinion  we  had  already  formed 
of  him.  He  was  melted  into  pity  when  he  saw  the  captains  sick  in  the 
cabin." 

While  the  Albert  was  still  a  hundred  miles  from  the  sea,  its 
disabled  crew  were  surprised  and  delighted  by  seeing  a  steamer 
coming  up  the  stream  towards  them.  It  proved  to  be  the 

*  Mr.  Schon,  p.  243.  t  Dr.  MacWilliatn,  p.  99. 

I  Ibid.  p.  100. 


1841.]  FAILURE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  401 

Kthiope,  commanded  by  Captain  Beecroft,  who  had  been  directed 
by  Mr.  .Tainieson  to  afford  every  assistance  to  the  Expedition. 
This  timely  assistance  was  of  the  greatest  importance.  Captain 
Beecroft  and  his  engineer  took  charge  of  the  Albert,  and  brought 
her  in  safety  to  Fernando  Po.  It  was  hoped  that  Captain  Bird 
Allen  and  his  gallant  fellow  sufferers  would  rapidly  revive  under 
the  influence  of  its  purer  air  ;  but  many  were  already  too  much 
sunk  to  receive  benefit,  and  the  mortality  was  most  painful.  Of 
the  301  persons  who  composed  the  Expedition  when  it  com- 
menced the  ascent  of  the  Niger,  forty-one  perished  from  the  Afri- 
can fever.  It  may  be  worth  while  to  observe,  that  of  about  150 
Africans  on  board  not  one  died  from  the  effects  of  the  disease. 
Captain  Bird  Allen  fell  a  victim  to  it,  at  Fernando  Po,  on  the 
21st  of  October. 

Thus  failed  the  NIGER  EXPEDITION.  From  the  facts  stated 
by  all  the  different  gentlemen  who  were  on  board,  and  who  have 
written  accounts  of  what  they  saw,  and  also  from  the  direct 
assertions  of  the  four  commissioners,  it  would*  appear  that 
nothing  but  the  climate  prevented  the  expedition  from  fulfilling 
the  most  sanguine  hopes  of  its  promoters. 

"  On  its  own  part  it  possessed,  in  vain,"  as  was  remarked  by 
a  contemporary  writer,  "  all  that  modern  science  and  human 
skill — all  that  undaunted  courage  and  determined  enterprise — 
could  contribute  to  success.  To  its  officers  and  men,  dead  as 
well  as  living,  the  highest  credit  appears  to  be  due ;  they  con- 
quered everything  but  impossibilities  ;  nature  they  could  not 
conquer,  and  they  only  ceased  to  persevere  when  the  survivors 
had  almost  ceased  to  live."  * 

*  The  opinion  of  the  Government  is  given  in  the  following  letter  from 
the  Under  Secretary  for  the  Colonies,  G.  W.  Hope,  Esq.,  to  Captain  Trotter, 
R.N.  :— 

"  Downing  Street,  April  3,  1842. 

"  Sir, — I  am  directed  by  Lord  Stanley  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  March  15,  transmitting  your  Report  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  late  Niger 
Expedition  entrusted  to  your  command. 

"  His  Lordship  desires  me  to  take  this  opportunity  of  conveying  to  yourself, 
and  to  the  other  Members  of  the  late  Expedition,  an  expression  of  the  sense 
entfvtained  by  his  Lordship  of  the  zeal  and  ability  manifested  by  yourself  and 
those  under  your  command,  in  the  attempt  to  execute  the  objects  of  the  Expedi- 
tion, under  very  difficult  circumstances,  and  at  great  personal  risk  to  all  who 
were  engaged  in  it. 

"  I  am,  &c.  "  G.  W.  HOPE." 


4G2  CONDUCT  OF  THE  NATIVES.  [CHAP.  xxxi. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  natives  proved  to  be  far  more  inclined 
to  trade,  and  far  less  barbarous  and  disorganised,  than  could  have 
been  supposed  possible  in  so  secluded  a  part  of  Africa.  They 
eagerly  sought  the  protection  of  the  British  from  their  slave- 
trading  oppressors,  the  Fulatahs ;  and  that  protection  it  would 
have  been  perfectly  easy  to  give.  The  country,  although  some 
thought  it  less  fertile  than  had  been  anticipated,  was  found  to 
produce  cotton,  sugar-cane,  coffee,  indigo,  ginger,  arrowroot, 
dyewoods,  magnificent  timber  for  ship-building,  palm-oil,  and 
many  other  important  articles  of  commerce.  Ivory  also  was  fre- 
quently seen. 

"  The  banks  of  the  Niger,"  writes  Captain  W.  Allen,  "  arc  populous, 
with  the  exception  of  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Mangrove  swamps : 
but  wherever  man  has  been  able  to  get  a  firm  footing,  he  has  cleared 
away  a  patch  for  cultivation,  and  has  built  his  hut.  These  are  found 
to  increase  rapidly  as  we  ascend  the  river.  Large  villages,  towns,  and 
even  populous  cities  are  met  with.  The  banks  of  the  Tchadda,  how- 
ever, have  been  almost  depopulated  by  the  frequent  slave-catching 
expeditions.  The  country  on  both  sides  nevertheless  is  capable  of  sup- 
porting prodigious  numbers  :  the  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation  is  beyond 
belief,  and  the  palm-tree,  which  would  form  a  groundwork  for  national 
wealth  and  prosperity,  grows  in  the  greatest  abundance.  *  *  *  The 
strongest  characteristic  of  the  people  is  the  love  of  traffic ;  it  is  indeed 
their  ruling  passion.  Every  town  has  a  market,  generally  once  in  four 
days  ;  but  the  principal  feature  is  in  the  large  fairs  held  at  different 
points  in  the  river,  about  once  a  fortnight,  for  what  may  be  called  their 
foreign  trade,  or  intercourse  with  neighbouring  nations.*  *  *  *  Here, 
then,  we  have  an  immense  and  highly  productive  country,  at  no  great 
distance  from  our  shores,  and  which  may  even  be  said  to  diminish  daily 
by  the  improvements  in  steam  navigation.  The  nations  inhabiting  this 
valuable  region  are  desirous  of  being  supplied  with  our  manufactures. 
*  *  *  If  the  only  interchangeable  commodities  were  salt  and  palm-oil, 
a  profitable  trade  might  be  extended  to  the  interior,  and  yet,  with  such 
vast  resources  and  capabilities  on  both  sides,  the  exports  from  the 
greatest  commercial  country  in  the  world,  which  is  seeking  on  all  sides 
an  outlet  for  its  manufactures,  is  less  than  half  a  million  sterling."! 

The  chiefs  were  quite  ready  to  enter  into  treaties ;  and 
Captain  W.  Allen  emphatically  declares : — 

*  Captain  W.  Allen's  Narrative,  i.  p.  379.  f  iwd.  '•  40'- 


1841.]  CONDUCT  OF  THE  NATIVES.  4G3 

"  I  have  no  doubt  that  if  the  climate  had  not  opposed  a  barrier  to 
frequent  intercourse,  those  treaties  would  have  been  mainly  instrumental 
in  putting  an  effect ual  stop  to  the  traffic  in  slaves,  in  the  waters  subject 
to  those  chief's.  The  principles  of  humanity,  so  new  to  them,  which 
we  expounded,  were  received  with  great  satisfaction  ;  and  all  classes 
earnestly  desired  the  presence  of  British  influence  as  the  surest  means 
of  ameliorating  their  condition,  and  of  procuring  a  cessation  of  the  wars 
which  now  desolate  the  country.  Very  small  means,  such  as  the  occa- 
sional passage  up  and  down  the  river  of  Her  Majesty's  steamers,  would 
have  been  sufficient  for  this  purpose. 

«*  *  *  The  vojce  of  vituperation  has  loudly  charged  the  Expedition 
with  total  failure.  This,  I  may  boldly  say,  is  not  true  ;  for  although  the 
lamentable  loss  of  life  which  it  suffered  had  the  effect  of  preventing  the 
accomplishment  of  all  the  objects  for  which  it  was  equipped,  its  success, 
until  our  exertions  were  paralysed  by  sickness,  was  complete;  since  we 
were  able  to  make  satisfactory  treaties  with  two  of  the  three  most 
powerful  chiefs  that  are  known.  *  *  *  It  is  much  to  be  deplored  that 
the  single  obstacle  of  the  climate  should  have  thwarted  all  the  great 
efforts  w  hich  have  been  made  for  the  benefit  of  Africa."  * 

It  was  the  climate  also,  and  the  climate  alone,  that  prevented 
the  Expedition  from  being  the  herald  of  Christianity  to  West 
Africa.  The  disposition  of  the  natives  was  found  to  be  emi- 
nently favourable  to  the  settlement  of  missionaries  among  them. 

"  Their  conduct,"  says  Captain  Trotter,  "  not  only  at  the  model 
farm,  but  on  all  other  occasions  that  came  under  my  notice,  is  a  subject 
to  which  I  feel  much  pleasure  in  adverting ;  as  during  the  entire  period 
in  which  the  vessels  under  my  command  were  in  the  Niger,  not  only 
the  native  chiefs  of  the  country,  but  the  people  in  general,  evinced  the 
most  friendly  disposition  towards  us,  and  this  not  only  during  our  pros- 
perity, whilst  going  up  the  river,  but  also  in  our  forlorn  condition  when 
coming  down.  *  *  *  I  may  remark,  that  the  desire  evinced  by  the 
natives  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  model  farm  to  be  taught  the 
Christian  religion,  gives  me  reason  to  believe  that,  when  the  day  happily 
arrives  of  missionaries  reaching  that  part  of  Africa,  they  will  be  gladly 
welcomed  by  the  inhabitants.''  t 

In  a  despatch  addressed  to  Lord  J.  Russell  from  Iddah,  the 
four  commissioners  expressly  state  their  belief  that  "  Christian 

*  Captain  W.  Allen's  Report:  P.  P.,  pp.  135,  138. 
f  Captain  Trotter's  Report,  p.  105. 


464  OPINION  OF  THE  COMMISSIONERS.      [CHAP.  xxxi. 

missionaries  and  teachers  may  be  safely  *  and  advantageously 
introduced  into  this  part  of  Africa ;  a  measure  which,  by  the 
blessing  of  Almighty  God,  would  tend  effectually,  in  our  opinion, 
to  enlighten  this  unhappy  country,  and  to  put  an  end  for  ever  to 
the  abominable  slave-trade."  f, 

*  At  that  time  there  had  not  been  any  appearance  of  fever  on  board, 
f  Despatch  from  the  Commissioners,  P.  P.  p.  38. 


1842.]  DECLINING  HEALTH.  465 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

1842,  1843. 

Declining  Health  —  Efforts  and  Views  regarding  Africa  —  The  Model-Farm 
broken  up  —  Letter  from  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta  —  Country  Pursuits  — 
Planting  —  Characteristic  Anecdotes. 

IT  may  well  be  conceived  with  what  anguish  Sir  Fowell  Buxton 
received  the  melancholy  tidings  of  the  Niger  Expedition. 
Deeply  did  he  sympathise  with  the  sufferings  of  the  brave  men 
who  had  attempted  to  carry  out  his  plans ;  nor  was  he  less 
dejected  at  feeling  that  the  door  was  closed,  for  the  present  at 
least,  through  which  he  had  hoped  that  so  many  blessings  might 
have  been  poured  upon  Africa.  His  health,  which  had  been 
undermined  before,  became  gradually  more  feeble,  and  he  could 
no  longer  bear  any  sustained  mental  exertion,  especially  if 
attended  by  any  sense  of  responsibility.  To  a  man,  the  law  of 
whose  nature  it  was  to  be  at  work,  with  head,  hand,  and  heart, 
it  was  no  slight  trial  to  be  thus  prematurely  laid  aside.  He  was 
only  fifty-five  years  of  age  ;  but  already  the  evening  was  come  of 
his  day  of  ceaseless  toil ;  nor  was  its  close  brightened  by  the 
beams  of  success  and  joy.  The  idea  of  what  he  so  forcibly 
termed  "the  incomparable  horrors"  of  the  slave-trade  had 
fastened  itself  on  his  mind  with  the  most  vivid  reality  ;  the 
burning  and  plundered  villages  of  Africa,  the  ships  traversing 
the  Atlantic  with  their  cargoes  of  torture, — these  pictures  were 
ever  before  him.  When  unconscious  that  he  was  observed,  he 
would  at  times  utter  such  groans  as  if  his  heart  were  sinking 
beneath  its  load.  But  his  grief  was  not  of  that  kind  described 
by  an  old  divine,*  which  "  runs  out  in  voice."  He  rarely  spoke 
of  the  Expedition, — to  Captain  Bird  Allen's  death  he  could 
scarcely  allude  at  all  ;  but  his  grave  demeanour,  his  worn  pale 
face,  the  abstraction  of  his  manner,  and  the  intense  fervour  of 

*  Dr.  South. 


466  DECLINING  HEALTH.  [CHAP.  xxxu. 

his  supplications  that  God  would  "  pity  poor  Africa," — these 
showed  too  well  the  poignancy  of  his  feelings. 

And  yet  the  three  years  which  elapsed  between  the  failure  of 
the  Niger  Expedition  and  his  death  were  brightened  by  not  a 
few  gleams  of  domestic  happiness ;  by  many  country  pleasures  ; 
by  the  great  satisfaction  of  receiving,  in  the  main,  good  tidings 
of  the  working  of  emancipation  in  the  West  Indies ;  by  some 
encouragements  about  Africa :  but,  above  all,  by  the  exercise 
of  faith,  and  the  consolations  of  religion.  During  all  that 
period  he  was  humble,  patient,  and  resigned  in  an  extraordinary 
degree ;  and  especially  was  his  heart  overflowing  with  love  to 
all  around  him,  and  with  the  living  spirit  of  thanksgiving  and 
prayer.  His  correspondence,  after  the  lamentable  issue  of  the 
expedition,  shows  that  his  mind  did  not  sink  under  discourage- 
ment ;  and  although  he  candidly  admitted  the  ruin  of  his  own 
scheme,  he  yet  cherished  hopes  that  the  same  great  end  might 
be  achieved  in  some  other  and  better  way. 

To  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Trew  Sir  Fowell  thus  expressed  his 
feelings,  when  he  received  the  last  painful  accounts  : — 

"  I  need  not  tell  you  the  grief  excited  by  your  heavy  tidings.  I 
mourn  from  my  inmost  heart.  But  what  can  I  say  ?  It  has  pleased 
God  to  send  us  a  deep  disappointment — a  personal,  as  well  as  public 
calamity  of  no  common  kind.  That  dear  Bird  Allen  ; — his  long  illness 
— the  sickness  and  suffering  so  grievously  prevailing  :  that  gallant  fellow 
Stenhouse — poor  Willie — and  the  others!  A  mercy  indeed  it  is  to  have 
had  Trotter  spared.  *  *  *  Now  we  must  meet  the  case  fairly,  and  we 
cannot  conceal  from  ourselves  that  this  effort  for  this  time  has  been 
frustrated.  The  Government  seem  to  decide  the  question  for  us  by 
recalling  the  expedition,  and  our  course  so  far  is  clearly  pointed  out — to 
pause  till  Captain  Trotter's  return,  till  we  have  the  facts  fully  before  us, 
till  they  have  been  digested.  It  may  then  appear  that  from  the  ruins 
of  this  enterprise  another  may  arise,  consisting  of  negroes ;  or  it  may 
appear  that  single  missionaries  must  do  the  work.  The  call  seems  to 
me  to  be  very  distinct,  to  be  still,  to  wait  in  faith  and  submission  for 
further  light,  and  for  our  Master's  will,  concerning  His  own  work." 

"What  he  still  could  do,  he  did  with  his  usual  energy ;  and 
amid  all  his  own  sorrow  he  strove  to  maintain  the  hopes  of  others. 
In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Bingliam,  after  alluding  to  the 
mortality  on  board  the  vessels,  he  adds — 


1842.]  HOPE  FOR  AFRICA.  467 

"  Hut,  on  the  other  hand,  the  natives  received  us  kindly;  they  had 
no  objection  to  our  making  settlements  in  the  country ;  they  supplied  us 
with  provisions,  and  sold  us  land  ;  they  have  entered  into  treaties  for  the 
abolition,  both  of  the  slave-trade  and  of  human  sacrifices;  and  seem 
only  more  desirous  to  receive,  than  we  can  be  to  send  them,  mission- 
aries and  instructors.  This  looks  as  if  'the  set  time  were  come,'  and 
makes  me  hold  fast  to  conviction,  that,  although  we  may  fail,  and  our 
plans  prove  worthless,  the  day  is  at  hand  when  the  right  methods  will 
be  devised,  and  when  Africa  will  be  delivered.  God  grant  that  that 
happy  day  may  soon  arrive!" 

"  Your  favourite  oracle,"  he  writes  to  Miss  Gurney,  "  thun- 
ders forth  every  day  a  leading  article  against  me,  and  attacks  me 
in  poetry  and  prose ;  all  of  which  does  not  excite  a  moment's 
vexation  in  my  mind.  *  *  *  At  all  events,  we  must  not  desert 
Africa  till  we  see  that  all  exertions  are  useless."  He  earnestly 
hoped  that  the  discouragement  would  not  preclude  further  efforts. 
Thus  he  writes  :  — 

"  Grant,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  events  have  confuted  my 
'  Remedy ;'  that  the  latter  half  of  my  book  be  proved  to  be  mere  non- 
sense ;  yet  the  former  part  remains  intact.  No  one  denies  the  enormous 
number  of  human  beings  whom  the  slave  trade  annually  devours.  Because 
one  plan  has  failed,  are  we  to  submit  in  patience  to  this  incomparable  evil  ? 
Because  we  erred  in  one  attempt  to  subdue  it,  are  we  henceforward  to 
act  as  if  we  were  reconciled  to  the  abomination  ;  as  if  one  abortive  effort 
were  all  that  humanity  pleads  for,  or  that  is  required  at  our  hands  by  the 
Gospel  of  Christ?  Again,  our  exertions  have  not  been  wholly  useless. 
At  all  events  we  know  one  thing  which  we  did  not  know  before.  We 
know  how  the  evil  is  to  be  cured  ;  that  it  is  to  be  done  by  native 
agency  ;  by  coloured  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  Africa  is  to  be  delivered 
by  her  own  sons  !  " 

Strongly  impressed  with  these  feelings,  he  went  to  London 
early  in  February,  and  passed  a  few  weeks  at  the  house  of  his 
son  ;  giving  all  the  strength  he  could  muster  to  meetings  and 
consultations  on  the  subject.  The  whole  spring  was  spent  in  a 
succession  of  painful  efforts  to  gather  some  benefit  for  Africa 
from  the  wreck  of  the  Niger  expedition.  The  model  farm  was 
still  in  existence  ;  and  to  obtain  the  promise  of  an  occasional 
visit  to  it  from  a  Government  steamer  was  one  of  the  principal 
objects  at  which  he  earnestly  aimed.  The  heads  of  the  African 
Civilisation  Society  obtained  an  interview  with  Lord  Stanley, 
which  Sir  Fowell  thus  describes  : — 


468  INTERVIEW  WITH  LORD  STANLEY.     [CHAP.  xxxn. 

"  We  entered  the  chamber  of  the  great  man,  anxious,  I  take  it, — and 
one  at  least  having  on  his  lips  and  in  his  heart,  '  O  Lord,  give  us  good 
speed  this  day.' 

"  Lord  Stanley  received  us  very  kindly,  and  Lushington  opened  our 
case  with  great  skill,  and  boldness  te«.  How  hearty  my  prayer  had 
been  for  him  and  for  myself,  that  utterance  might  be  given  to  us,  that 
we  might  '  speak  with  all  boldness  as  we  ought  to  speak.'  Then 
followed  Sir  Robert  Inglis,  saying  strong  things  in  a  very  mild  voice, 
and  in  a  very  gentle  manner.  Then  Acland  put  in  a  few  words  ex- 
tremely well  :  and  then  I  spoke;  contending  that,  one  point  excepted, 
that  of  the  climate,  we  had  met  with  success  in  every  particular,  and 
that  it  would  be  most  wicked  and  shameful  to  abandon  Africa  in  conse- 
quence of  anything  that  had  occurred.  After  hearing  all  we  had  to  say, 
he  offered,  very  frankly,  to  send  round  the  Cabinet  any  paper  which 
we  should  transmit  to  him,  embodying  our  ideas,  and  stating  what  we 
wish." 

Upon  Sir  Powell's  return  to  Northrepps  he  received  a  visit 
from  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Schon,  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
who  had  been  chaplain  to  the  Niger  Expedition.  Sir  Fowell 
tells  his  nephew  and  faithful  coadjutor,  Mr.  Gurney  Hoare, 
March  24,— 

"  Schon  has  been  staying  a  week  with  me.  I  perceive  that  he 
attaches  the  deepest  importance  to  the  intercourse  which  wrould  be  pro- 
duced with  Africa  by  the  retention  of  the  model  farm.  If  you  and 
Cook  and  Samuel  Gurney  cannot  concur  with  me  in  my  anxious  desire 
to  give  the  model  farm  one  fair  chance,  but  feel  that  it  must  be  aban- 
doned, even  before  the  first  crop  has  been  harvested,  I  will  thank  you 
to  summon  a  meeting  of  all  the  subscribers,  in  most  urgent  terms,  and  I 
will  come  up  in  order  to  make  the  forlorn  attempt  to  obtain  a  majority 
for  going  on  a  little  longer.  God  grant  that  we  may  be  wisely  directed 
in  this  very  important  matter." 

A  public  meeting  of  the  African  Civilisation  Society  was  to 
be  held  in  June :  he  wrote  many  letters  on  the  subject,  but  was 
unable  to  take  a  part  in  the  meeting. 

TO  DR.  LUSHINGTON. 

"May  14,  1842. 

"  I  try  to  whip  myself  up  to  some  exertion  ;  but  it  is  all  in  vain,  / 
can  do  nothing ;  the  truth  is,  you  and  I  feel  the  effects  of  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century.  *  *  *  IIow  do  you  like  Peel's  new  tariff? 


1842.]  MEETING  OF  AFRICAN  SOCIETY.  469 

I  look  at  it,  as  at  everything  else,  with  an  eye  to  Africa;  and  I  think 
lowering  the  duty  on  timber,  rice,  and  many  other  things,  can  hardly 
fail  to  be  productive  of  benefit  to  us." 

TO  LORD  ASHLEY  (CHAIRMAN  OF  THE  MEETING  ALLUDED  TO). 

"  Northrepps,  June  18,  1842. 

"  My  dear  Lord  Ashley, — It  is  no  little  aggravation  of  the  trial  of 
my  present  ill  health,  that  it  prevents  me  from  attending  the  meeting 
of  our  Society.  I  need  hardly  assure  you  that  I  retain  an  unaltered 
conviction  on  two  points,  viz.  that  whatever  discouragements  we  may 
meet  with,  it  is  our  duty  to  persevere ;  and  again,  that  the  Lord  of 
compassion  and  righteousness  is,  and  will  be,  with  those  who  faithfully 
labour  for  the  purpose  of  rescuing  millions  of  the  human  race,  not  only 
from  their  moral  darkness,  but  from  the  intense  sufferings  which  they 
now  endure.  May  He  hasten  the  day  when  the  Gospel,  with  its  train 
of  attendant  blessings,  shall  shine  forth  upon  Africa. 

"  I  am  very  thankful  that,  although  I  am  debarred  from  taking  my 
share  of  labour,  your  lordship  and  other  faithful  men  are  still  prosecut- 
ing the  good  cause." 

Nothing  could  be  stronger  than  the  contrast  between  the 
exulting  hopes  of  the  meeting  in  1840,  and  the  sorrowful  tidings 
which  were  to  be  communicated  to  the  one  now  convened  ; 
nevertheless  its  tone  was  less  desponding  than  had  been  feared. 

Lord  John  Russell,  with  his  usual  courage,  came  forward  and 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  proceedings,  boldly  asserting  the 
soundness  of  the  principles  on  which  the  schemes  had  been 
founded.  The  present  Bishop  of  Oxford  spoke  with  hereditary 
eloquence  and  feeling.  He  fully  admitted  the  disappointment, 
but,  like  Lord  John  Russell,  he  did  not  fear  to  uphold  the  prin- 
ciples which  had  actuated  them,  the  righteousness  of  the  cause, 
and  the  certainty  of  ultimate  success,  if  discouragement  did  not 
paralyze  their  exertions. 

Among  the  speakers  were  the  Bishops  of  Gloucester  and  Nor- 
wich, Lords  Mahon,  Sandon,  Teignmouth,  and  Fortescue,  Sir 
R.  H.  Inglis,  and  Sir  T.  D.  Acland. 

TO  LORD  JOHN  RUSSELL. 

"June  23,  1842. 

"  My  dear  Lord  John, — You  must  excuse  me  for  giving  you  the 
trouble  of  reading  a  line  from  me,  but  I  feel  personally  so  obliged  to 


470     LETTER  FROM  THE  BISHOP  OF  CALCUTTA.     [CHAP,  xxxii. 

you  for  your  well-timed  and  powerful  assistance,  and  for  your  generosity 
in  coming:  forward  publicly,  and  claiming  your  share  of  the  obloquy 
which  has  been  cast  on  us,  that  I  must  be  permitted  to  offer  you  my 
most  sincere  thanks.  The  effects  of  the  late  meeting  will  not,  I  am 
persuaded,  be  lost.  It  has  already  put  us  in  better  spirits,  and  will, 
I  trust,  convince  the  country  that  the  efforts  made  to  reclaim  and  civilise 
Africa  are  not  so  wild  and  visionary  as  they  have  been  described." 

It  may  be  supposed  how  soothing1  to  his  feelings,  at  this  time, 
was  the  following  letter  from  his  highly  valued  friend,  the  Bishop 
of  Calcutta  : — 

"Bishop's  Palace,  Calcutta,  April  9,  1842. 

"  Be  not  cast  down,  my  dearest  friend ;  yield  not  to  disappointment 
and  sorrow ;  all  will  work  for  good.  The  grand  blow  is  struck ;  the 
monster  must  fall  like  Dagon  before  the  ark  ;  and  your  honest,  devoted, 
anxious  heart  shall  yet  be  comforted  with  blessed  tidings:  and  indeed, 
when  we  consider  how  little  we  worms  of  the  earth  can  scan  the  designs 
of  an  infinite  Being,  we  need  not  wonder  that  grief  and  disquietude 
sometimes  follow  on  our  best  concerted  schemes.  Supposing  all  our 
hopes  to  fail,  Providence  has  other  ways  of  bringing  about  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  enslaved  population  of  Africa. 

"  Let  us,  then,  go  on  cheerfully  in  the  use  of  all  such  means  as  are 
open  to  us,  and  new  and  unsuspected  blessings  will  arise  in  due  time. 
Gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind  ;  be  sober  and  hope  to  the  end.  No- 
thing we  do  for  God  in  the  cause  of  humanity  is  lost  either  to  the  cause 
or  to  ourselves.  Soon,  soon  the  tempest  will  be  calmed  ;  soon  life  will 
be  past ;  soon  the  heavenly  port  will  open  to  our  frail  and  weather- 
beaten  bark,  and  we  shall  have  reached  that  '  good  land.'  *  * 
"  Ever  believe  me 

"  Your  sincere  and  affectionate  friend, 

"  D.  CALCUTTA." 

In  July,  1842,  Lieutenant  "Webb  courageously  volunteered  to 
go  up  the  Niger  in  the  Wilberforce  to  visit  the  model  farm.  He 
found  the  settlers  all  well :  a  large  portion  of  ground  had  been 
cleared ;  and  from  twenty  to  thirty  acres  were  "  in  good  order, 
mainly  planted  with  cotton,  the  growing  crops  of  which  were 
very  promising."  * 

"  Of  native  labour  there  had  been  no  scarcity,  the  numbers  employed 


*  Lieutenant  Webb's  Report :  P.  P.,  p.  75. 


1842.]  MODEL  FARM  ABANDONED.  471 

being  frequently  100  men,  women,  and  boys;  on  one  day  236  were 
fully  occupied.  They  worked  nine  hours  per  diem,  and  received  three 
pence  each  in  cowries.  Seven  houses  and  four  huts  had  been  erected. 
*  *  *  Well-supplied  markets  were  regularly  held  at  the  farm  and 
in  the  surrounding  villages.* 

"  The  security  which  the  establishment  afforded  from  the  constant 
inroads  of  the  slave-hunters  had  induced  numbers  of  the  persecuted 
tribes  to  settle  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  to  cultivate  much  more  exten- 
sively and  carefully  than  before.  *  *  *  The  natives  were  most 
peaceable,  friendly,  and  industrious.  The  Bassas  (a  neighbouring 
tribe)  are  described  as  a  quiet  and  intelligent  people ;  and  extremely 
desirous  of  learning  the  manners  and  customs  of  Europeans ;  very  obe- 
dient and  industrious."! 

On  the  other  hand,  owing  to  the  murder  of  Mr.  Carr,  while 
returning  to  the  model  farm  from  Fernando  Po,  the  settlers  had 
been  deprived  of  all  effective  superintendence.  Mr.  Moore,  the 
negro  in  charge,  had  no  authority  over  his  companions  ;  and,  in 
consequence,  the  most  complete  disorganisation  had  taken  place. 
These  evils  Lieutenant  Webb  expected  to  remedy  by  leaving  Mr. 
Hensman,  the  surgeon  pro  tempore  of  the  Wilberforce,  as  super- 
intendent ;  but  sickness  appearing  on  board,  Mr.  Hensman  could 
not  be  spared.  Lieutenant  Webb  therefore  broke  up  the  settle- 
ment, and  brought  all  the  people  away. 

"  This  necessity,  however,"  he  says,  "  I  could  not  help  regretting, 
because  I  felt  that  we  were  retiring  from  a  position  of  great  advantage, 
whether  regarded  as  an  inland  point  from  which  commerce  and  civilisa- 
tion might  be  expected  to  diffuse  their  blessings  through  the  neighbour- 
hood countries,  or  as  a  point  of  refuge  for  the  fugitive  negroes,  seeking 
to  avoid  slavery,  where  they  might  become  acquainted  with  the  advan- 
tages of  our  protection,  and  possibly  in  time  form  a  considerable  colony 
under  our  rule." 

The  tribes  which  had  collected  round  the  farm  expressed  the 

*  "  They  were,"  says  Captain  W.  Allen,  "  mostly  small  well-made  active 
men,  and  their  manners  particularly  mild  and  agreeable.  *  *  *  The 
innate  modesty  and  gentleness  of  the  women  made  them  appear  very  pre- 
possessing." Mount  Patteh  is  described  as  being  almost  covered  with  lux- 
uriant crops  of  corn,  yams,  millet,  &c. ;  and  the  natives  appeared  to  have 
some  idea  of  the  rotation  of  crops ;  but  the  slave- trading  Fulatahs  were  the 
terror  of  the  country. 

f  Account  of  the  Model  Farm. — Friend  of  Africa.    Dec.  1842. 


472  ANOTHER  EXPEDITION  PROPOSED.     [CHAP.  xxxn. 

deepest  regret  at  its  being  removed ;  and  even  displeasure,  that 
the  white  man  should  come  and  sit  down  among  them,  "  to 
teach  them  his  fashion,"  and  then  go  away.  One  man  said  that 
the  Bassas  would  "go  down  to  meet"  another  expedition.  For 
a  moment  Sir  Powell's  equanimity  was  ruffled  by  this  bitter  dis- 
appointment. 

"  As  to  the  model  farm,"  he  writes  to  Mr.  Trew,  "  it  makes  one  mad 
to  think  that  it  was  going  on  so  well— our  experiment  likely  to  be  suc- 
cessful,— and  that  they  were  torn  away  because  Lieutenant  Webb  had 
not  a  superintendent  to  spare  them.  However,  all  regrets  are  kept  down 
by  the  reflection  that  at  the  head  of  our  cause  stands  One  who  cannot  err." 

In  October  Sir  Powell  had  the  gratification  of  hearing  that 
Captain  Bosanquet  had  offered  to  the  African  Society  his  gra- 
tuitous services  to  conduct  another  expedition  up  the  Kiger, 
together  with  a  donation  of  500/.  towards  the  expenses  of  it.  In 
replying  to  a  letter  of  thanks  addressed  to  him  by  Sir  Powell, 
Captain  Bosanquet  writes:  "My  whole  heart  is  embarked  in  the 
cause  of  our  black  brethren,  and  what  little  talent  and  energy  I 
am  possessed  of  shall  be  used  towards  the  success  of  the  expedi- 
tion, if  sent  out." 

The  Committee  of  the  Society  was  convened  to  take  this  pro- 
posal into  consideration  :  it  was  gratefully  received  by  them,  but 
they  found  themselves  compelled  to  decline  it. 

TO  DE.  LUSHINGTOK. 

"  Northrepps,  May  22,  1842. 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  telling  me  what  passed  between  Sir 
Robert  Inglis  and  yourself  on  the  subject  of  his  meditated  Church  of 
England  Society  for  Africa.  I  can  have  no  doubt  about  my  course.  I 
am  quite  ready  and  willing  to  unite  with  him ;  he  shall  freely  have  my 
subscription,  and  what  little  service  my  shattered  frame  can  give.  Only 
I  hope  they  will  not  expel  me  for  giving  my  money  also  to  any  right- 
hearted  Dissenters  who  will  endeavour  to  befriend  Africa,  for  I  shall 
not  refuse  that,  and  my  earnest  good  wishes,  to  every  sincere  Christian 
who  sets  about  this  work  of  charity  in  his  own  way.  1  am  extremely 
sorry  that  you  and  I  do  not  see  this  one  point  in  exactly  the  same  light. 
But  though  we  differ  pro  hue  vice,  there  shall  he  no  separation  between 
us — so  do  not  expect  it.  Why,  man,  have  you  not  borne,  for  the  last 


1843.]  SUSPENSION  OF  THE  AFRICAN  SOCIETY.  473 

twenty  years,  more  than  half  my  burden?  and  have  you  ever  failed  to 
render  me  every  assistance  which  could  be  furnished  by  your  better 
judgment,  your  greater  experience,  and  your  unquenchable  industry, 
and  am  I  to  let  you  off  so  easily  at  last?  However,  I  am  called  away 
to  shoot  with  my  boys." 

TO  HIS  YOUNGER  SONS,  AT  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE. 

"  Northrepps,  Feb.  1843. 

"  My  dear  Fowell  and  Charles — Our  Sabbath  day's  business  is  over, 
and  our  family  reading  finished.  Well,  you  have  been  much  in  all  our 
minds  to-day.  I  hope  it  has  been  a  tranquillising  day  to  you,  and  that, 
knowing  that  you  have  each  done  your  best,  you  are  satisfied  in  com- 
mitting yourselves  and  the  result  of  the  examination  to  Him  whose  pro- 
vince it  is  to  decide  what  shall  be  the  issue  of  every  effort.  You  must 
bear  in  mind,  that  though  you  may  lose  the  places  at  which  you  aim, 
you  will  not  therefore  lose  the  advantage  of  your  studies.  The  know- 
ledge you  have  acquired,  and  your  habits  of  application,  will  in  great 
measure  cleave  to  you  all  your  life  long.  Despite  all  my  philosophy, 
however,  I  shall  most  heartily  rejoice  in  your  success. 

"  Now,  God  bless  you !  May  you  not  forget  to  pray  for  help,  know- 
ing that  it  is  expressly  promised  to  those  who  humbly  and  devoutly  ask 
it,  '  Commit  your  way  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass.'  " 

In  January,  1843,  Sir  Fowell  proceeded  to  London,  to  bear 
his  part  in  the  painful  duty  of  dissolving  the  African  Civilisation 
Society.  In  reply  to  the  summons  to  attend  the  meeting1,  he 
says,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Trew,  "  I  feel  as  if  I  were 
going  to  attend  the  funeral  of  an  old  and  dear  friend."  After 
the  resolutions  for  suspending  the  operations  of  the  Society  had 
been  passed,  he  addressed  the  meeting  in  a  tone  of  deep  feeling. 
He  warmly  thanked  the  Committee  for  their  past  exertions,  and, 
although  he  insisted  strongly  that  the  Expedition  had  not  failed 
in  any  one  of  its  great  objects,  still  he  admitted  that  there  was  a 
necessity  for  the  step  which  had  now  been  taken.  He  alluded 
to  the  attacks  of  the  papers,  but  added  that,  "  painfully  as  he 
felt  all  the  disasters  which  had  attended  the  Expedition,  he  did 
not  accuse  himself  of  having  been  imprudent  or  over-sanguine  in 
the  measures  which  he  had  proposed." 

That  all  human  means  for  success  had  been  tried  was  the 
feeling  of  all  who  saw  closely  into  the  subject.  Lord  Monteagle 
writes,  December,  1842: — 


474  THE  LADIES'  SOCIETY.  [CHAP.  xxxn. 

"I  am  very  sorry  you  cannot  gire  me  a  more  cheerful  account  of 
yourself.  Everything  which  acts  upon  your  mind,  like  the  question  of 
the  Niger  to  which  you  refer,  is  sure  to  do  more  mischief  to  your  health 
than  a  mere  bodily  ailment.  But  remember  that  the  result  is  no  moral 
test  at  all — eventus  stultorum  magister.  You  have  no  doubt  as  to  the 
greatness  of  the  object  you  sought  to  accomplish.  You  have  no  doubt  of 
the  labour  and  patience  which  you  applied  to  the  investigation  of  the 
facts.  You  have  no  doubt  of  the  skill,  courage,  and  industry  applied  to 
increase  all  the  probabilities  of  success.  Remember  it  was  a  case  in 
which  after  everything  had  been  done  which  could  be  done  beforehand 
— after  all  a  priori  reasoning  had  been  employed — much  remained  on 
which  no  human  prescience  could  have  led  you  to  any  definite  or  certain 
conclusion.  Therefore,  my  dear  Buxton,  let  me  most  earnestly  entreat 
you  not  to  allow  this  subject  to  rest  unreasonably  on  your  mind,  or 
interfere  with  your  health  or  your  happiness." 

A  meeting  of  the  Ladies'  Society  for  educating  the  Negroes 
in  the  West  Indies,  which  he  attended  about  this  time,  bore  a 
brighter  aspect.  He  writes : — 

"  I  was  quite  fired  by  it  and  cheered.  You  cannot  conceive  how  well 
Trew  spoke  ;  and  Sir  Edward  Parry  capitally  too.  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  I  ought  never  to  be  low,  never  downcast,  all  the  rest  of  my 
pilgrimage,  the  accounts  are  so  very  bright  of  those  for  whom  my 
heart  used  to  bleed  a  few  years  ago.  And  these  blessings  I  firmly  trust 
will  last  long  after  I  shall  be  mouldering  in  the  dust." 

TO  ANDREW  JOHNSTON,  ESQ. 

"Northrepps,  Feb.  1843. 

"  Your  little  Buxton  is  in  great  force,  and  takes  very  pleasingly  to 
grandpapa  :  he  is  a  great  wit ;  and,  what  is  better,  very  happy. 

"  I  have  begun  to  plant  again,  and  make  great  progress  in  providing 
employment  for  the  poor  people  in  this  neighbourhood,  which  is  the  first 
and  pleasantest  thing  in  planting,  be  the  second  what  it  may. 

"  *  *  *  We  have  much  indeed,  very  much,  to  be  unreservedly 
thankful  for,  very  much  at  home,  very  much  at  Halesworth,  very  much 
at  Cambridge,  very  much  at  Forest  Edge,  and  at  many  other  places, 
while,  with  much  submission,  we  have  to  be  satisfied,  though  astonished, 
with  the  event  of  the  Expedition,  and  to  feel  and  to  be  able  to  say, 
'  God's  will  be  done,'  although  it  be  in  the  teeth  of  our  fondest  wishes. 
Another  day  may  yet  dawn  upon  Africa,  and  I  doubt  not  it  will." 

Some  years  before  this  time  he  had  purchased  a  small  estate  at 


1843.]  PLANTATIONS.  475 

Trimingham,  on  the  coast  of  Norfolk,  four  miles  from  Cromer  ; 
and  he  took  great  interest  in  executing  various  plans  for  its 
improvement.  One  of  the  farms  lie  retained  in  his  own  hands, 
and  took  great  pains  to  bring  the  land  into  the  highest  state  of 
cultivation.  In  1840  he  bought  some  more  land  at  Runton,  on 
the  other  side  of  Cromer,  and  on  both  these  properties  he  formed 
extensive  plantations.  Oil  commencing  them  he  wrote  to  Mr. 

Aubin  at  Rome : — 

"  Northrepps,  Sept.  5. 

"  I  am  now  once  more  settled  at  home,  but  as  yet  I  have  only  been 
able  to  get  out  shooting  once.  The  fact  is,  I  have  been  buying  an 
estate,  where  I  hope,  on  some  future  day,  to  show  you  some  partridges 
and  a  pheasant  or  two ;  and  I  find  more  sport  in  the  delicious  occupation 
of  projecting  improvements,  and  letting  the  imagination  run  wild  in 
visions  of  future  woods  and  groves,  which  have  yet  to  be  planted,  than 
in  pursuing  preserved  game.  After  all,  I  like  your  wild  Macarese 
shooting  (bandits,  assassins,  vipers,  and  all)  better  than  our  tame 
sport." 

These  plantations  formed  his  chief  amusement  during  the  last 
years  of  his  life.  "  His  friends,"  says  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney,  "  will 
not  fail  to  remember  the  lively  pleasure  which  they  enjoyed  in 
accompanying  him  over  the  hills  and  dales  of  Runton  and  Tri- 
mingham, while  he  pointed  out  to  them  the  exquisite  views  of 
the  sea,  already  rendered  more  lovely  by  the  young  and  rising 
plantations  in  the  foreground."*  Mr.  Herbert  Johnson,  the 
former  proprietor  of  the  Runton  estate,  was  his  constant  and  kind 
companion  in  his  endeavours  to  improve  it.  His  plantations 
were  called  (as  his  horses  had  been  in  earlier  days)  after  the 
objects  which  were  most  deeply  interesting  to  him  at  the  time. 
One  wood  went  by  the  name  of  "  the  Niger,"  another  by  that  of 
"  Fernando  Po,"  and  so  on. 

TO  ANDREW  JOHNSTON,  ESQ. 

"  Northrepps  Hall,  Feb.  10,  1843. 

"  Our  party  here,  although  very  small,  and  with  a  touch  of  the  lonely, 
is  very  cheerful  and  comfortable. 

"  At  least  ninety  families  have  been  supported  during  this  hard 
weather  by  double  trenching  my  plantations,  and  earning,  I  am  happy 
to  say,  on  the  average  two  shillings  a-day.  But  this  last  snow  has  beat 

*  '  Brief  Memoirs  of  Sir  T.  Powell  Buxton,  Bart.,'  p.  27. 


476  RECOLLECTIONS  BY  MR.  NIXON.       [CHAP.  XXXIT. 

them,  and  they  can  do   no  more  at  present.     I  am  getting  decidedly 
stronger,  and  feel  more  like  myself. 

"  Feb.  12. — All  Earlham  came  here  yesterday  to  dinner.  I  have 
been  riding  with  a  large  party,  to  see  my  new  plantations ;  and  we  are 
all  greatly  delighted.  Love  to  all.  In  truth,  I  can  say  from  my  heart, 
'  The  good  Lord  bless  you  all.'  " 

One  of  his  friends  observing  to  him,  "  Your  plantations  will 
some  day  be  the  pride  of  the  country  if  England  stands," 
"  England  stand  !  "  said  he.  "  I  will  never  believe  that  any 
country  will  fall  which  has  abolished  slavery  as  England  has 
done." 

The  following  recollections  of  Sir  Fowell  during  the  latter 
years  of  his  life  are  from  the  pen  of  his  secretary  Mr.  Nixon, 
and  may  aid  the  reader  in  forming  a  just  idea  of  his  character  : — 

"  The  qualities  which  struck  me  most  in  Sir  Fowell  Buxton  were  his 
perseverance,  benevolence,  disregard  of  outside  appearances,  his  entire 
devotion  to  what  was  practical,  and,  perhaps  beyond  all,  his  humility. 

"  As  regards  perseverance:  before  entering  upon  an  undertaking,  he 
seemed  to  consider,  not  whether  success  in  it  were  probable,  but  whether 
it  were  possible ;  if  so,  he  would  set  about  it  at  once,  and  never  give  in 
till  that  success  was  gained. 

"  His  humility  led  him  to  esteem  no  one  unworthy  of  a  certain  portion 
of  respect,  however  low  his  condition ;  so  that  I  never  in  any  instance 
saw  the  principle  of  that  Essay  by  Dr.  Channing,  which  has  for  its  title 
'  Honour  due  unto  all  men,'  so  fully  and  consistently  carried  out  as  by 
him.  . 

"  In  June,  1840,  a  few  days  after  I  became  his  secretary,  he  went  to 
town  from  Upton,  leaving  me  the  task  of  making  an  epitome  of  his 
'  Slave  Trade  and  Remedy."  When  he  returned  we  walked  up  anil 
down  the  lawn,  I  reading  my  paper  to  him.  He  listened  very  atten- 
tively, and  when  it  was  finished  he  tapped  me  on  the  shoulder  and  said, 
'  Very  well  done  indeed,  Mr.  Nixon  ;  it  does  you-  great  credit,  but  it 
won't  do  for  me.  It  would  make  a  capital  flowery  speech  for  a  young 
member  of  Parliament ;  but  I  want  something  more  practical,  very  brief 
and  very  strong :  so  now  come  along  indoors,  and  let  us  make  a  begin- 
ning.' 

"  I  never  recall  the  period  of  my  connection  with  Sir  Fowell  without 
a  feeling  of  astonishment  at  his  wonderful  powers  of  concentration,  which 
enabled  him  to  apply  every  atom  of  his  energies  to  the  one  purpose  in 
hand.  In  carrying  out  a  great  object  he  was  borne  along  irresistibly, 
and  to  compass  it  every  effort  must  be  made  which  human  ingenuity 
could  point  out,  or  bodily  endurance  admit  of.  He  used  to  become  far 


1843.]  ANECDOTES.  477 

too  deeply  absorbed  to  be  conscious  of  fatigue,  and  would  often  laugh  at 
me  good  humouredly  when  I  complained  that  I  felt  very  tired,  and 
should  like  to  give  up  for  awhile.  '  Tired,  Nixon  !  why,  you  don't 
know  what  it  is  to  be  tired.  When  you've  had  nineteen  years  in  Par- 
liament you'll  be  able  to  form  some  opinion  of  what  it  means :  however, 
we  must  finish  this  job  at  any  rate.  I  don't  care  how  many  white  slaves 
I  make  to  save  the  black  «nes ! ' 

"  When  he  returned  alone  from  Italy,  at  which  time  I  became  his 
secretary,  he  was  overwhelmed  with  business  connected  with  the  Niger 
Expedition.  These  affairs  were  so  widely  ramified  that  none  but  a 
powerful  mind  could  have  sustained  such  constant  and  heavy  pressure. 
When  the  day's  labour  was  over,  he  was  frequently  quite  unable  to  sleep, 
and  night  after  night  I  was  called  upon  to  read  aloud-to  him,  in  the 
hope  of  soothing  him  to  rest.  Many  a  time  when  I  was  at  length  drop- 
ping off  into  a  lower  arid  lower  tone,  believing  that  his  slumbers  had 
begun,  he  would  stop  me  suddenly,  exclaiming,  •  Get  me  my  memo- 
randum book,  Mr.  Nixon  ;  set  down  so  and  so,'  and  he  would  go  on 
until  there  was  work  enough  set  down  for  the  next  week  perhaps.  Then 
came  another  monotonous  page  or  two  of  the  book  I  was  reading,  and 
then  up  he  would  get,  saying,  '  It's  of  no  use,  I  can't  sleep  :  come  into 
the  drawing-room — now  then,  take  a  sheet  of  paper;'  he  would  then 
dictate  three  or  four  notes  or  a  letter,  or  a  portion  of  some  long  statement 
upon  which  he  might  be  engaged,  and  then  go  to  bed  again. 

"  His  perseverance  in  small  things  as  well  as  in  great  was  displayed 
in  the  labour  he  bestowed  on  his  plantations,  which  had  been  formed 
upon  the  roughest  ground,  and  were  exposed  to  those  bitter  north-east 
blasts  which  seemed  to  preclude  all  hope  of  covering  the  hills  with  wood. 
But  he  spared  no  pains  to  accomplish  his  purpose  :  reading,  correspond- 
ence, conversation  with  men  of  experience,  visits  to  nursery-grounds 
and  woods — every  method  was  resorted  to  for  obtaining  information  and 
securing  success  :  and  it  was  attained  abundantly.  Indeed  the  flourish- 
ing plantations  at  Trimingham  and  Runton  are  brought  forward  as  the 
example  of  successful  planting,  in  the  essay  on  that  subject  which  gained 
the  gold  medal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  in  1845. 

"  The  rule  of  Sir  FowelPs  life  was  to  be  '  complete  in  all  things,' 
and  to  do  well  what  he  did  at  all  :  but  I  ought  to  observe,  that  in  form- 
ing his  plantations  he  evidently  derived  the  greatest  part  of  his  pleasure 
from  the  employment  it  gave  to  the  poor. 

"  His  delight  in  horses  was  remarkable.  I  may  relate  an  anecdote 
which  he  told  me  himself,  in  connection  with  one  of  his  favourites. 
'  Poor  old  Abraham,'  he  said,  '  was  the  finest  horse  I  ever  had  in  my 
life.  At  the  time  when  George  IV.  was  very  unpopular,  I  was  riding 
through  St.  James's  Park,  just  as  the  king  passed,  surrounded  by  an  im- 


478  ANECDOTES  [CHAP.  xxxn. 

mense  mob.  The  shauts  and  groans  and  yellings  were  terrific,  and 
there  was  I  wedged  in  among  the  multitude,  in  the  midst  of  noises 
which  might  have  frightened  the  most  courageous  animal.  But  my 
noble-spirited  horse  pricked  up  his  ears,  distended  his  nostrils,  curved 
his  neck,  and  stood  immoveable.  The  next  day  came  the  Marquis  of 

to  endeavour  to  buy  my  horse.     I  said  1  did  not  wish  to  sell  him, 

that  he  was  a  great  favourite  of  mine,  and  perfectly  suited  my  purpose. 
Nothing  daunted,  the  Marquis  held  his  ground,  made  me  first  one  offer 
and  then  another,  and  at  last  told  me  that  he  was  not  endeavouring  to 
buy  the  horse  for  himself,  but  was  authorized  to  go  as  far  as  5007.  for  a 
friend.  This  offer  I  still  refused,  when,  as  a  last  resource,  "The  fact 
is,  Mr.  Buxton,"  said  he,  "  it  is  the  king  who  has  sent  me  to  buy  your 
horse,  and  I  hope  you  will  not  refuse  to  sell  him  to  His  Majesty." 
This  took  me  rather  aback,  but  I  had  made  up  my  mind  ;  so,  with  very 
many  apologies  and  regrets,  and  in  the  politest  manner  imaginable,  I 
maintained  my  ground,  and  thus  the  matter  ended.  What  I  meant, 
though  I  didn't  think  it  exactly  civil  to  say  so,  was,  "  You  may  tell  His 
Majesty  that  I'm  happy  to  hear  he's  so  fond  of  a  good  horse ;  but  so  am 
I ;  and  having  got  one,  I  mean  to  keep  him !"  ' 

"  His  generosity  was  unbounded.  I  remember,  when  we  were  at  Bath, 
his  chief  pleasure  was  to  look  into  the  shops,  and  see  what  he  could  buy 
for  his  family,  his  grandchildren,  or  his  friends.  His  manner,  too,  of 
making  a  present  was  the  most  agreeable  and  delicate  imaginable.  In 
looking  over  things,  he  would  sometimes  say,  '  Well,  I  don't  know 
which  to  choose  ;  which  do  you  think  is  the  best,  Nixon  ?  '  And  on  my 
pointing  out  which  I  thought  the  most  desirable  article,  he  would  sav, 
'  Oh  !  you  think  so,  do  you,  Sir?  well,  then,  put  that  on  one  side  for 
Mr.  Nixon !' 

"  His  public  liberality,  which  is  so  generally  known,  was  only  equalled 
by  his  private  acts  of  generosity  and  charity  — acts  which  were  known 
only  to  myself  and  the  recipients  of  his  bounty.  He  appeared  totally 
unable  to  deny  relief,  whore  it  seemed  to  be  required,  although  he  might 
feel  it  had  not  been  merited.  Sometimes,  when  he  had  relieved  the 
same  person  several  times,  he  would  give  me  directions  to  write  a  rather 
sharp  note,  stating  that  he  could  attend  to  no  further  applications.  In 
the  course  of  the  day  he  would  ask  me  whether  I  had  sent  the  note. 
He  would  then  hesitate,  read  over  the  applicant's  letter  once  again,  and 
then,  leaning  back  in  his  armchair  and  raising  his  spectacles  upon  his 
forehead,  would  look  me  steadily  in  the  face.  '  What  do  you  think  of 
it,  Nixon  ?  The  poor  old  villain  seems  to  be  in  a  bad  way,  shall  I  send 
him  a  trifle  more  ?'  On  my  declining  to  give  an  opinion,  he  would 
continue,  '  Well,  then,  send  him  another  sovereign ;  and  as  this  is  the 
seventh  time  he  has  promised  never  to  apply  to  me  again,  tell  him  that  I 


1843.]  AND  REMINISCENCES.  479 

give  him  a  trifle  this  once,  but  only  on  condition  that  I  am  never  to  sec 
his  handwriting  any  more.  I  don't  wish  to  hurt  the  poor  old  fellow's 
feelings,  but  explain  to  him,  in  the  very  civillest  terms  imaginable,  that 
I'll  see  his  neck  stretched  before  I  send  him  another  halfpenny.'  Then 
rising  to  go  out  of  the  room,  he  would  look  back  before  shutting  the 
door,  to  beg  of  me  '  not  to  put  it  too  sharp,1  and  to  let  him  see  the 
letter  before  sending  it  off.  Such  was  the  man — he  could  not  bear  to 
give  a  moment's  pain. 

"  I  hardly  ever  saw  such  affection  towards  little  children  as  his  was. 
Though  engaged  in  the  most  difficult  business,  he  could  hardly  make  up 
his  mind  to  turn  them  out,  when  they  came  to  him  in  the  study,  without 
a  present  of  sweetmeats  or  cakes,  which  he  used  often  to  hoard  up  for 
them ;  and  if  he  happened  to  hear  a  child  cry  in  the  far-off*  regions  of 
the  nursery,  he  used  to  jump  up,  leaving,  in  the  midst,  the  most  im- 
portant letter  or  paper,  and  could  never  rest  till  he  had  gained  relief 
from  this,  to  him,  painful  occurrence. 

"  It  would  sometimes  happen  that  a  little  cause  of  dispute  arose  be- 
tween us,  generally  some  difference  of  opinion;  and  I,  unfortunately, 
could  seldom  restrain  myself  from  saying  precisely  what,  at  the  moment, 
I  felt.  This  used  to  vex  him  ;  but  he  would  say  nothing:  till  the  next  day, 
and  then,  when  I  thought  that  the  whole  matter  had  passed  off  (having 
perhaps  received  great  kindness  in  the  mean  time),  he  would  all  at  once 
say,  '  What  a  silly  fellow  you  were,  Nixon,  to  put  yourself  in  such  a  pas- 
sion yesterday  !  If  I  had  spoken  then,  we  should  most  probably  have 
parted.  Make  it  a  rule  never  to  speak  when  you  are  in  a  passion,  but 
wait  till  the  next  day.' 

"  If,  at  any  time,  he  happened  to  transgress  this  rule  himself,  he  was 
seriously  vexed  and  grieved,  and  could  not  rest  till  he  had  in  some  way 
made  amends  for  his  want  of  self-restraint.  Most  men  consider  it  not 
very  necessary,  perhaps  degrading,  to  make  an  apology  to  those  below 
them  in  station  ;  but  such  was  not  his  case.  The  plan  of  people,  in 
general,  is  tacitly  to  acknowledge  their  error  by  an  increase  of  kindness, 
if  they  do  not  actually  presume  upon  their  authority,  and  make  '  might' 
stand  for  '  right ;'  but  such  was  not  his  mode  of  action. 

"  I  recollect  one  instance  well.  He  was  going  to  shoot  at  Runton  (I 
think  it  was  in  1844),  and  just  before  he  was  to  start  I  had  been  urging 
some  point  upon  him.  which  I  knew  to  be  necessary,  but  perhaps  I  did 
so  with  too  great  vehemence,  and  not  enough  respect.  At  this  time 
the  carriage  was  announced,  and  he  left  the  room,  saying,  'I  tell  you 
what,  Nixon,  I  don't  wish  you  to  come  out  shooting  with  me,  and  had 
much  rather  you  would  not ! '  I  was  sure,  however,  that  he  did  not 
actually  mean  this ;  so,  after  a  minute's  reflection,  I  mounted  the  pony 
and  rode  after  him.  When  near  the  Felbrigg  Lodges  I  saw  the  coach- 


480  REMINISCENCES.  [CHAP,  xxxii. 

man  pull  up,  and,  after  speaking  to  Sir  Fowell,  beckon  to  me.  As  soon 
as  I  reached  the  side  of  the  carriage,  he  put  his  hand  out  of  the  window, 
saying,  '  Come,  Nixon,  I  know  I  was  wrong ;  you  must  not  think  any- 
thing more  of  what  I  said  just  now  ! ' 

"I  do  not  put  forward  these  few  recollections  of  Sir  Fowell  as 
anecdotes,  but  merely  as  rough  memoranda  ;  and  I  am  only  sorry  that  I 
have  been  able  to  record  so  few.  In  conclusion,  I  may  say  that  it  has 
given  me  sincere  pleasure  thus  to  review  the  period  of  my  fortunate  con- 
nection with  him  ;  and  that  my  reverence  and  esteem  for  him  are,  if 
possible,  increased  every  time  that  I  am  led  to  reflect  upon  his  cha- 
racter." 


1843.]  LETTERS.  481 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

1843,  1844. 

Bath  —  Summer  at  Northrepps  —  Continued  and  increasing  Illness  —  Cor- 
respondence with  Sir  Robert  Peel  and  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta. 

IN  the  spring  of  1843  Sir  Fowell  Buxton  was  recommended  to 
try  the  Bath  waters.  In  a  letter  from  thence  to  Mr.  Johnston, 
after  alluding  to  the  poor  state  of  his  health,  he  says : — 

"Bath,  March  3,  1843. 

"  *  *  *  Now  for  something  better.  To  use  David's  words,  '  My 
mouth  hath  been  filled  with  laughter  '  since  I  read  in  the  Globe,  which 
arrived  yesterday,  the  account  of  Brougham  asking  a  question  about  the 
slave-trade,  and  of  Lord  Aberdeen  replying,  '  that  he  was  convinced  the 
time  would  soon  come  when  it  would  be  abolished  altogether.' 

"  Pray  turn  to  it,  and  let  P.  taste  the  delight  of  hearing  that  debate, 
and  of  seeing  that,  although  our  good  Lord  did  not  think  proper  to 
execute  our  plan,  it  seems  every  way  probable  that  He  is  preparing  to 
accomplish  the  work,  which  is  all  that  signifies,  and  all  that  I  care  for. 
If  He  do  but  undertake  the  task,  we  know  that  all  obstacles  are  re- 
moved, and  all  difficulties  surmounted.  It  puts  me  into  the  greatest 
gaiety  of  heart." 

TO  MISS  GURNEY. 

"  Bath,  May  19,  1843. 

«  *  *  *  As  to  myself,  if  I  am  to  tell  the  truth,  I  do  not  feel  strong  ; 
and  partly  from  frequent  attacks  of  illness,  and  feebleness,  and  partly 
from  the  manner  in  which  my  doctor  shook  his  head,  I  catch  myself 
saying,  in  the  language  of  Christopher  North,  '  Though  our  day  be  not 
quite  gone  by,  we  think  we  see  the  stealing  shades  of  evening,  and,  in 
the  solemn  vista,  the  darkness  of  night.' 

"  I  called  at  the  Colonial  Office  when  I  was  in  London ;  James 
Stephen  spoke  in  such  glowing  terms  of  the  conduct  of  the  negroes  since 
Emancipation,  as  sent  me  home  quite  exulting." 

In  writing  to  Mr.  Scoble,  explaining  his  absence  from  the 
Anti-Slavery  Convention,  he  adds,  "  I  can  no  longer  personally 

2  i 


482  DESIRES  FOR  AFRICA.  [CHAP.  xxxm. 

unite  with  you  in  fighting  ;  but  my  prayer  to  God  is,  that  lie 
would  stand  by  all  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  holy  attempt 
to  put  down  these  iniquities." 

He  would  occasionally  express  an  earnest  desire  that  he  might 
be  enabled  to  work  again  in  the  service  of  Africa ;  "  but,"  he 
observed  on  one  occasion,  "  no  matter  who  is  the  instrument,  so 
that  there  be  successful  labourers  for  God,  for  Christ,  and  for 
man,  especially  for  heathen  man  !" 

The  summer  of  the  year  was  passed  very  quietly  at  Northrepps. 
His  extremely  feeble  health  precluding  him  from  exertion,  he 
amused  himself  with  the  improvement  of  his  farm  and  planta- 
tions ;  while,  in  the  evenings,  he  delighted  to  come  out  upon  the 
lawn,  and  watch  the  villagers  at  their  games  of  cricket.  While 
the  force  of  his  mind  was  waning,  his  affections  seemed  to  cling 
with  ever-increasing  warmth  to  all  who  were  dear  to  him.  It 
would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  energy  of  his  prayers  while 
imploring  every  "  good  and  perfect  gift "  for  those  whom  he 
loved,  both  present  and  far  away  ;  but  above  all,  morning  and 
evening,  did  his  most  fervent  supplications  ascend,  that  his 
heavenly  Father  would  stretch  forth  His  hand  to  deliver  "  poor 
Africa." 

TO  MRS.  JOHNSTON,  HALESWORTH. 

"  August,  1843. 

"  We  have  just  finished  our  family  reading,  and  therefore  I  trust 
I  shall  stand  acquitted,  even  in  Andrew's  eyes,  of  violating  the 
Sabbath,  if  I  spend  a  few  moments  with  almost  the  dearest  friend  I 
have.  Your  image  has  been  present  with  me  all  the  day.  I  fear  too 
that  you  are  still  in  suffering.  I  look  about  me,  thinking  what  there  is 
that  we  could  do  that  might  add  to  your  comfort.  I  cannot  think  how 
it  was  that  I  was  so  stubborn  about  that  portrait  of  myself.  '  May  you 
have  it?'  To  be  sure  you  may,  and  I  only  wish  it  were  ten  times 
more  worth  your  having.  I  will  send  it  by  the  van  forthwith.  *  *  * 

TO  ARCHDEACON  TREW,  ON  ENTERING  ON  HIS  OFFICE  IN  THE 
BAHAMAS. 

"  October,  1843. 

"  There  is  this  comfort  in  your  leaving  England,  that  you  are  em- 
barked in  a  noble  cause,  and  if  you  succeed  in  obtaining  black  men,  who 
are  truly  converted  and  spiritual  Christians,  to  labour  in  Africa,  it  will 


1843.]  ACCOUNTS  FROM  AFRICA.  483 

be  worth,  not  only  any  inconvenience  to  which  you  may  be  exposed, 
but  the  lives  of  any  ten  of  us.  So  go  in  good  heart,  my  dear  friend,  and 
the  Lord  go  along  with  you." 

He  was  sufficiently  recovered  in  the  autumn  to  receive  a  few 
guests  under  his  roof;  amongst  them,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Crowther, 
who,  during  his  visit,  preached  in  Northrepps  church ;  and  Sir 
Fowell  was  not  a  little  gratified  at  hearing  an  excellent  sermon 
from  the  lips  of  a  negro  clergyman.  In  his  sermon  Mr.  Crowther 
alluded  to  the  failure  of  the  Niger  Expedition ;  but,  after  de- 
scribing some  of  its  results  in  opening  communication  between 
Sierra  Leone  and  other  parts  of  Africa,  and  affording  great 
facilities  for  missionary  enterprise,  he  declared  that  it  had  already 
produced  important  good,  and  that  "  some  of  those  who  had 
sown  weeping  would  yet  bring  in  their  sheaves  rejoicing ;  for 
what  greater  joy  can  there  be  for  them,  than  to  hear  that  their 
children  are  walking  in  the  truth?" 

In  the  same  tone  Mr.  Beecham  writes,  on  sending  Sir  Fowell 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Freeman's  narrative  of  his  third  journey  in  Western 
Africa : — 

"  You  live  to  see  that  the  Niger  Expedition  has  not  been  a  total 
failure.  It  has  not  worked  out  its  beneficial  results  exactly  in  the  way 
which  was  anticipated  ;  but  Almighty  God  is  making  it  accomplish,  in 
his  own  way,  the  good  on  which  your  benevolent  heart  was  set.  The 
Niger  Expedition  has  given  a  new  impul?e  to  the  African  mind,  and 
induced  the  emigration  from  Sierra  Leone,  which  has  opened  the  way 
into  Yariba  and  Dahomey,  and  placed  even  Central  Africa  within  our 
reach."* 

Towards  the  end  of  November,  Sir  Fowell's  family  were 
alarmed  by  a  great  increase  of  bodily  weakness,  accompanied  by 
a  loss  of  memory,  and  at  times  a  confusion  of  ideas  most  dis- 
tressing to  those  about  him.  Oppression  on  the  brain  no  doubt 
existed,  and  for  several  weeks  he  was  very  seriously  ill ;  but,  at  the 
end  of  that  time,  he  was  again  restored  in  a  surprising  manner 
to  his  usual  measure  of  bodily  strength,  and  to  perfect  clearness 

*  Every  year  has  shown  more  clearly  that  the  Niger  Expedition  was  in 
fact  of  vast  moment,  in  opening  the  way  for  missionaries ;  who  have  already, 
especially  at  Abbeokuta,  produced  an  extraordinary  change  in  the  condition, 
physical  and  moral,  of  some  of  the  native  tribes. 

2  i  2 


484  SEVERE  ILLNESS.  [CHAP,  xxxiu. 

of  mind,  although  he  was  never  able  afterwards  to  bear  exertion, 
either  physical  or  mental. 

During  his  illness  a  few  notes  were  taken,  from  which  some 
extracts  may  be  made : — • 

"Nov.  29.  On  some  failure  of  memory,  he  said,  '  Well,  I  should  be 
willing  to  forget,  if  the  Lord  do  but  forget  my  sins.'  Several  texts 
being  quoted,  one  of  which  contained  a  promise  of  forgiveness,  '  Yes  !  * 
he  replied,  with  deep  feeling  and  seriousness,  '  if  it  is  not  presumption 
on  my  part  to  say  so,  through  unspeakable  and  condescending  mercy,  I 
believe  I  have  acceptance  with  God — that  I  have  peace  with  God 
through  Jesus  Christ.1 

"  Dec.  3.  On  receiving  an  account  of  Mrs.  Fry's  illness,  he  imme- 
diately exclaimed,  with  deep  earnestness,  '  O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee  to 
restore  this  most  beloved  sister,  so  that  she  may  be  permitted  to  return 
to  her  important  career,  and  that  her  ears  may  again  be  attentive  to  the 
cry  of  the  miserable  of  the  earth.'  He  then  went  on  in  a  strain  of  con- 
fession and  humiliation  before  God :  '  O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  forgive 
thy  unworthy  servant  his  innumerable  sins  and  transgressions  against 
thee ;'  adding,  '  If  it  be  not  presumptuous  to  say  it,  in  Christ  I  find 
acceptance  and  peace  ;'  and  afterwards  he  prayed  earnestly  '  for  an  un- 
compromising submission  to  the  will  of  God.' " 

At  this  time  the  failure  of  his  memory  and  his  general  feeble- 
ness seemed  to  be  increasing :  he  frequently  put  his  hands  up  to 
his  head,  as  if  it  were  in  pain ;  fetching  deep  sighs  and  groans, 
and  tottering  even  in  walking  across  the  room.  But  his  mind, 
though  failing  in  power,  was  illumined  by  the  sweetest  glow  of 
love  to  God  and  man. 

"  Some  one  expressing  sympathy  with  his  suffering,  he  replied,  '  Oh  ! 
it  is  the  gracious  act  of  our  most  merciful  Father ;  let  us  most  peace- 
fully acquiesce.'  He  remarked  to  his  son  that  he  thought  himself 
worse,  and  that  he  strongly  suspected  that  his  right  hand  and  arm 
were  benumbed.  His  son  tried  to  turn  it  off,  observing,  among  other 
things,  '  I  am  persuaded  you  need  not  be  afraid.'  '  Oh  no,'  replied  he, 
with  great  emphasis,  'I  am  not  afraid.  Whether  for  life  or  death,  I 
am  not  afraid.  I  hope  it  is  not  presumptuous  ;  I  have  a  confidence.' 

"  Dec.  24.  He  was  very  restless  at  night.  He  could  not  recall  the 
name  of  the  remedy  he  felt  in  need  of.  On  its  being  discovered,  he 
said  most  feelingly,  '  Thanks  be  to  the  great  and  good  God  for  making 
me  .submissive.'  Sympathy  being  expressed  with  him  in  being  debarred 
from  his  usual  occupations,  his  answer  was,  '  I  can  say  I  do  not  feel  it 


1844.]  ENCOURAGEMENTS.  485 

painful.  There  is  not  a  feeling  in  my  whole  soul  or  body  either,  I 
believe,  that  rebels  against  any  visitation  of  God  :'  and  again,  '  No 
quarrelling  or  grumbling  upon  this.'  His  own  trials  made  him  feel 
most  acutely  for  those  of  others  :  being  asked  one  night  why  he  was 
sighing  so  heavily,  he  replied,  '  For  the  suffering  that  is  in  the  world.' 
Thanksgivings,  however,  were  perpetually  on  his  lips.  On  one  occasion 
he  exclaimed  with  great  fervour,  '  O  Lord,  with  my  whole  soul  I  thank 
thee,  that,  instead  of  ease,  and  prosperity,  and  the  best  things  of  this 
world,  thou  hast  sent  this  illness.'  And  afterwards  he  earnestly  prayed 
that  the  insight  granted  him  into  heavenly  things  might  never  be  ob- 
scured or  fade  from  his  view,  but  that  he  might  ever  pant  after  them, 
and  give  his  whole  soul,  and  heart,  and  strength  to  the  Lord  who  had 
had  mercy  upon  him. 

"  His  benevolent  exertions  having  been  alluded  to,  he  said,  '  It  is  all 
the  goodness  of  the  Lord.  Oh !  that  I  may  be  but  admitted  into  the 
lowest  place  in  Heaven  ! ' 

"  After  reading  the  Lord's  Prayer,  he  said  that  he  felt  it  very  awful 
to  ask  that  forgiveness  to  us  should  be  in  any  sort  of  proportion  to  that 
we  ourselves  exercise  to  others  ;  not  that  he  had  anything  to  forgive, 
but  that  his  sense  of  the  need  of  forgiveness  was  such  that  he  could  not 
bear  any  restriction  upon  it." 

Early  in  January,  1844,  his  health  began  to  improve,  and  he 
then  rose  for  a  time  out  of  the  fearful  state  of  debility  into  which 
he  had  fallen. 

Soon  after  his  recovery  he  was  greatly  pleased  by  two  letters, 
the  one  from  Mr.  Anson,  addressed  to  him  by  direction  of 
H.  R.  H.  Prince  Albert,  and  the  other  from  Sir  Edward  Parry, 
informing  him  that  increased  efforts  were  contemplated  by  the 
Government  for  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade,  by  augment- 
ing the  squadron  on  the  coast  of  Africa.  At  the  same  time  he 
heard  that  the  Government  evinced  a  determination  not  to  admit 
slave-grown  sugar.  "  Surely,"  he  writes,  "  these  are  causes  of 
unspeakable  thankfulness." 

TO  SIR  ROBERT  PEEL,  BART. 

"  Spitalfields,  April  17,  1844. 

"  Sir, — As  some  persons  have,  I  believe,  addressed  the  Government 
on  the  subject  of  the  Sugar  Duties,  and  as  many  are  taking  measures  for 
making  their  views  known  to  the  public,  I  hope  I  do  not  appear  to  you 
to  be  putting  myself  too  forward  by  troubling  you  with  my  opinions  on 
the  same  matter. 


486  SLAVE-GROWN  SUGAR.  [CHAP.  xxxm. 

"  I  feel  most  strongly,  that  to  allow  Cuba  and  Brazil  to  send  their 
slave-grown  sugars  to  Great  Britain,  with  any  serious  diminution  of  re- 
strictive duties,  would  be  to  undo  in  great  measure  the  work  in  which 
this  country  has,  so  much  to  her  own  honour,  been  for  so  long  a  period, 
and  at  such  heavy  sacrifices,  engaged. 

"  The  impulse  which  would  thus  be  given  to  the  growth  of  sugar 
in  Cuba  and  Brazil  could  not  fail  to  be  very  great.  An  immense 
addition  to  the  number  of  labourers  would  necessarily  be  required,  and 
it  is  too  late  to  entertain  a  doubt  as  to  the  horrid  cruelties  and  crimes 
which  must  be  perpetrated  in  order  to  obtain  that  supply  of  labour. 

"  But  it  is  not  merely  the  cause  of  humanity  which  would  thus  suffer : 
the  character  of  our  nation  would  receive  an  indelible  stain.  It  has 
been  our  pride  to  furnish  encouragement  and  energy  to  the  friends  of 
freedom  ;  and  now,  supposing  us  to  yield  to  the  entreaties  of  those  who 
are  interested  in  slavery  and  the  slave-trade,  we  shall  stand  forth  as 
the  revivers  and  reanimaters  of  those  monstrous  iniquities.  We  shall 
employ  one  fleet  on  the  coast  of  Africa  to  suppress  the  trade ;  while 
another,  under  the  British  flag,  and  supported  by  British  capital,  will 
be  sailing  from  Cuba  and  Brazil  to  supply  the  British  market  with 
sugar,  which  can  only  be  produced  by  that  new  slave-trade  which  we 
shall  thus  call  into  existence. 

"  I  assure  you  that  I  have  felt  deep  gratitude  to  yourself  and  your 
colleagues  for  your  steadfast  refusal  to  admit  slave-grown  sugar ;  and 
I  am  not  altogether  unable  to  estimate  the  strenuous  resolution  which 
it  must  have  required,  in  order  to  enable  her  Majesty's  Ministers  to 
resist  the  entreaties  of  some,  the  threats  of  others,  and  the  plausible 
appeals  of  those  who  have  made  the  distresses  of  our  own  people  the 
ground  on  which  to  base  their  interested  applications. 

"  I  need  not  trouble  you,  Sir  Robert,  with  any  argument  to  show 
that  this  infamous  traffic  is  a  compound  and  an  accumulation  of  all 
crimes,  or  that  it  merits  (looking  at  the  present  calamities  it  inflicts, 
and  the  innumerable  and  heavy  evils  which  result  from  it),  more  than 
any  other  great  iniquity,  to  be  visited  with  the  vengeance  of  the  law  ; 
nor  can  I  conclude  this  letter  without  remarking  how  sincerely  I  have 
rejoiced  in  the  vigorous  policy  of  the  Government,  as  evinced  by  their 
sending  out  so  many  additional  cruisers  and  steam-vessels  to  the  coast  of 
Africa,  to  co-operate  with  the  squadron  before  stationed  there,  in  a  yet 
more  determined  effort  to  give  the  final  blow  to  the  iniquitous  occupation 
of  the  slave-dealer. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c.  &c., 

"  T.  POWELL  BUXTON." 


1844.]  LETTER  FROM  SIR  ROBERT  PEEL.  487 


THE  RIGHT  HON.  SIR  ROBERT  PEEL,  BART.,    TO  SIR  FOWELL  BUXTON. 

"  Whitehall,  April  18,  1844. 

"  Dear  Sir, — It  is  gratifying  to  me  to  receive  from  you,  the  untiring 
and  disinterested  friend  of  humanity  and  of  the  African  race,  the 
assurances  which  your  letter  of  yesterday  conveys. 

"  In  the  present  temper  and  with  the  present  views  of  the  ruling 
authorities  in  Brazil  and  Cuba,  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  opening  of  the 
market  of  this  country  to  Brazilian  and  Cuban  sugar,  at  greatly  reduced 
duties,  would  give  an  encouragement  to  its  production  by  slave  labour, 
to  which  there  would  be  no  check,  either  from  the  influence  of  humane 
and  moral  feelings,  from  municipal  law,  or  from  international  obligations. 
The  state  of  things  in  Cuba,  since  the  removal  of  General  Valdez  from 
the  Government,  is  most  unsatisfactory. 

"  This  is  a  critical  period  in  the  annals  of  slavery  and  the  slave- 
trade;  and  the  example  of  England,  if  she  were  now  to  relax  her 
honourable  exertions  in  that  cause,  of  which  she  is  in  truth  the  only 
active  and  zealous  supporter,  would  have  a  very  extensive  and  very  evil 
influence. 

"  If  the  exertion  of  force  will  avail  for  the  suppression  of  the  slave- 
trade,  I  cannot  conceive  a  use  of  force  more  justifiable  in  the  eyes  of 
God  than  the  employment  of  it  in  the  defeat  and  punishment  of  an 
infamous  traffic.  If  it  will  not  avail,  though  justifiable,  it  would  be  of 
course  impolitic :  but  the  experience  of  a  few  months  on  the  coasts  of 
Africa  and  Brazil,  were  every  British  cruiser  withdrawn,  would,  I  fear, 
demonstrate  the  inefficacy  of  any  other  means  at  present  for  the  sup- 
pression of  the  slave-trade. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c.  &c., 

"ROBERT  PEEL." 

In  the  spring  Sir  Fowell  Buxton  went  to  Bath,  where  a  letter 
from  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta  reached  him,  dated  February  15, 
1844  :— 

"  I  must  write  to  you  now  and  then,  my  dearest  friend,"  says  the 
Bishop,  "  because  1  look  on  you  as  much  depressed  with  the  events 
which  have  occurred  in  Africa,  and  as  also  in  but  an  indifferent  state  of 
health.  Such  is  God's  holy  will,  who  disposes  health  and  sickness  as 
he  pleases,  and  success  also,  or  disappointment,  in  our  most  lawful 
projects.  Grace  is  thus  strengthened  in  all  its  mightiest  principles  in 
our  heart — silence,  submission,  contrition,  trust  in  Christ,  hope  of  the 
peace  of  Heaven.  And  though  the  Niger  Expedition  seems  for  the 
time  to  have  failed,  yet  how  magnificent  is  the  result  of  the  experiment 


488  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  [CHAP,  xxxni. 

on  man  in  the  West  Indies,  and  the  demonstration  that  his  noble 
powers,  when  allowed  to  come  into  play,  can  beat  out  and  out  the 
tardy  product  of  the  whip  and  chain  !  In  India  things  are  moving  on  ; 
but  the  field  is  so  vast  that  the  effects  of  what  has  been  accomplished 
are  scarcely  visible.  In  the  three  dioceses  there  are  altogether  about 
250  chaplains  and  missionaries,  most  of  them  men  of  God,  and  labouring 
to  their  power  and  beyond  their  power  for  the  spiritual  and  temporal 
welfare  of  our  teeming  population.  If  God  should  send  us  a  wise, 
calm,  enlightened,  amiable,  firm,  pious  Governor-General,  it  is  incal- 
culable what  good  might  be  done,  and  that  in  a  short  time. 

"  And  the  great  Arbiter  is  prospering  our  arms,  and  thus  extending 
our  influence.  Central  India  is  settled,  Affghanistan  is  settled,  Scinde 
is  settled  (though  thinking  people  don't  like  it),  China  is  settled  ; 
nothing  remains  disquieted  but  the  Punjaub.  But  what  times  are  we 
fallen  upon  at  home!  Well,  God  is  above;  Christ  intercedes;  the 
Gospel  is  being  diffused  wider  and  wider ;  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
inward  advocate ;  the  Bible,  without  note  or  comment  or  the  fathers, 
continues  the  inspired  rule  of  faith  and  practice  ;  and  the  various 
branches  of  the  Universal  Church  are  administering  the  word  and 
sacraments  ;  whilst  heaven  is  the  blessed  haven  whither  we  are  bound  ! 
Farewell,  my  deai-est  Sir  Fowell  and  Lady  Buxton,  and  Mrs.  Fry. 
May  God  preserve  us  all  to  his  eternal  kingdom  !" 

TO  THE  BISHOP  OF  CALCUTTA. 

"Bath,  May  1,  1844. 

"  My  very  dear  Friend, — Your  comforting  delightful  letter,  of  the 
15th  of  February,  has  just  reached  me,  and  has  been  a  real  pleasure  to 
us  all.  It  is  wonderful  that,  with  all  Asia  on  your  hands,  you  have 
any  sympathies  left  for  poor  Africa.  I  can  truly  say,  your  pity  for  her 
is  most  grateful  to  me,  and  may  it  be  returned  abundantly  to  you  and 
your  more  immediate  objects  of  interest! 

"  I  am  not  now  so  much  cast  down  with  regard  to  Africa  as  you  may 
suppose ;  the  bitterness  of  disappointment  as  to  the  Niger  Expedition, 
and  the  deep  mourning  for  precious  lives  lost,  are  in  some  measure 
abated  ;  and  I  have  settled  in  my  mind,  that  the  expedition  was  but 
one  experiment  upon  a  great  principle  :  the  experiment  has  failed  from 
no  error  as  to  facts  or  mistake  in  the  principles  on  which  we  relied  ;  but 
from  a  cause  at  which  we  always  looked,  and  confessed  we  looked,  with 
exceeding  dread.  I  can  well  believe  the  failure  of  that  great  attempt 
was  a  right  humiliation  and  check  for  us.  But  I  more  and  more  see 
cause  to  trust  that  the  putting  forth  of  those  facts,  and  of  that  great 
principle  that  the  extinction  of  the  slave-trade  must  come  from  Africa 


1844.]  THE  BISHOP  OF  CALCUTTA.  489 

herself — from  the  operation  of  the  Bible  and  the  plough  in  Africa — 
has  borne  and  is  bearing  fruit.  The  seed  is  sown  in  many  hearts — 
above  all,  in  many  hearts  that  throb  under  black  skins. 

"As  soon  almost  as  a  negro  is  truly  converted  and  educated,  he 
begins  to  sigh  for  Africa.  Sierra  Leone,  over  whose  days  of  darkness 
poor  Wilberforce  and  Macaulay  had  to  groan  so  heavily,  is  beginning 
to  show  its  harvest  by  the  return  of  Christian,  civilised,  and,  by  com- 
parison, wealthy  negroes,  to  the  various  countries  from  which  they 
were  carried  away  as  slaves.  All  the  societies  are  more  or  less 
awakened  towards  Africa,  and  the  Church  has  lately  ordained  two 
black  clergymen. 

"  Our  valuable  friend  Trew  is  gone  as  Archdeacon  to  the  Bahamas, 
and  I  think  his  favourite  work  will  be  to  train  spiritual  labourers  for 
Africa.  So  you  see,  though  we  decay,  the  work  lives. 

"I  have,  indeed,  been  very  ill,  and  am  obliged  to  lead  much  the 
life  of  an  invalid ;  but  I  am  surrounded  with  blessings,  and  am,  I  trust, 
most  truly  thankful  for  leisure  and  repose.  My  family  are  favoured 
too ;  my  dearest  and  most  invaluable  wife  in  better  health  than  she 
was  a  few  years  ago,  my  two  elder  children  surrounded  with  sweet 
young  families,  my  younger  daughter  our  comfort  at  home,  and  my  two 
younger  sons  just  entering  life.  We  have  one  heavy  family  cloud — 
the  illness,  long-continued  and  grievously  painful,  of  our  beloved  sister 
Mrs.  Fry.  She  has  been  for  some  months  unable  to  walk  or  stand, 
and  is  deeply  afflicted  in  body  ;  but  her  faith  and  hope  are  preserved 
in  strength,  and  her  reliance  on  the  Saviour  is  unbounded. 

"  Joseph  J.  Gurney  is  on  a  missionary  excursion  in  France  ;  all  the 
rest  of  our  fhmilies  are  in  their  usual  health  ;  the  Cunninghams  rejoicing, 
and  labouring  as  usual. 

"  I  thank  you  much,  my  dear  friend,  for  all  you  say  ;  and  can  from 
my  heart  re-echo  your  desire,  that  God  may  preserve  us  all  to  his 
eternal  kingdom ! 

"  Yours  ever,  in  true  fidelity, 

"  T.  FOWJEU.  BUXTOIT. 

"  I  am  far  more  of  a  Quaker  than  you  are  as  to  these  Indian  wars. 
I  know  every  one  of  them  may  be  called  defensive,  but  the  principles 
and  root  of  all  are  aggression  and  conquest.  I  connot  conceive  how 
our  missions  are  ever  to  prevail  against  the  arguments  of  our  cannon. 
Six  thousand  heathen  slain  at  Gwalior  are  a  terrible  set-off  against  our 
converts.  Yet  we  are  not  to  be  discouraged.  I  long  for  the  whole 
Christian  world  to  combine  its  forces  against  war.  Peace  seems  to  me 
an  object  not  nearly  enough  striven  for,  as  lying  at  the  root  of  all 
other  good. 


490  MRS.  FRY.  [CHAP.  xxxm. 

"  One  would  suppose  by  my  silence  that  I  think  nothing  of  the 
abolition  of  slavery  in  the  East  Indies.  This  is  very  far  from  being  the 
truth.  We  do  rejoice  most  truly  in  what  has  been  done.  We  know 
that  there  cannot  be  the  abolition  of  slavery,  however  narrow  and 
jejune  may  be  its  details,  without  a  flight  of  concomitant  blessings.  But 
we  want  to  know  each  and  every  detail,  and  we  hope  you  will  write 
without  delay,  and  tell  us  all  about  it." 

Mrs.  Fry  was  at  this  time  staying  also  at  Bath,  and  in  Sir 
Fowell's  blank  memorandum  book  of  1844  there  is  this  entry, 
under  the  date  of  May  25 : — 

"  I  visited  E.  Fry  this  evening,  and  found  her  in  tears,  and  in  a  very 
low  state.  I  reminded  her  of  the  promises  of  God,  and  of  the  merits 
of  Christ,  whereby  she  and  such  as  she  are  assured  of  the  '  inheritance 
incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away  ;'  soon  she  was 
cheerful  and  full  of  smiles,  and  when  I  went  away,  and  had  left  the 
room  for  that  purpose,  she  sent  fjor  me  back,  and  whispered  in  my  ear, 
'  How  precious  is  the  love  and  sweet  harmony  which  has  always  pre- 
vailed between  us  and  amongst  us  !  I  trust,  as  ^we  have  loved  one 
another  in  time,  so  we  may  abound  in  love  towards  each  other  for  all 
eternity.  How  delightful  is  the  thought  of  eternal  love  binding  us  to- 
gether !' " 

A  branch  society  for  the  civilisation  of  Africa  had  been  formed 
by  the  Africans  at  Sierra  Leone,  and  had  sent  a  considerable  sum 
of  money  to  the  parent  society  in  England.  To  their  committee 
Sir  Fowell  addressed  the  following  letter : — 

"  Spitalfields,  June  7th,  1844. 

"  Gentlemen, — I  cannot  refrain  from  expressing  the  very  great  pleasure 
which  the  intelligence  of  your  proceedings  has  caused  in  England,  among 
persons  so  long  and  so  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  oppressed 
inhabitants  of  uncivilised  Africa. 

"  It  is  matter  for  great  thankfulness  to  find  such  exertions  for  the 
liberation  of  the  slaves  going  on  in  any  community,  but  especially  so 
when  set  on  foot  by  the  very  men  who  have  themselves  been  victims 
of  the  most  terrible  system  of  cruelty  and  oppression  which  the  world 
has  ever  known.  You  have,  moreover,  the  credit  of  setting  the  example 
to  your  fellow-countrymen  of  what  may  be  done  by  themselves  towards 
the  elevation  of  their  species,  and  their  own  liberation  from  the  dreadful 
evils  to  which  they  have  been  so  long  subject. 


1844.]  THE  AFRICANS  AT  SIERRA  LEONE.  491 

"  Be  assured  that  the  spirit  which  this  gift  evinces  on  your  part,  and 
the  anxiety  which  it  displays  for  the  spread  of  human  freedom  in  the 
world,  for  the  advancement  of  education,  and  still  more  for  the  diffusion 
of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  among  the  benighted  millions  of  your  country, 
will  not  fail  to  afford  the  deepest  gratification  to  those  who,  for  twenty 
years,  have  not  ceased  in  their  exertions  or  in  their  prayers  for  your  real 
and  everlasting  welfare." 


492  CONTINUED  ILLNESS.  [CHAP,  xxxiv. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

1844,  1845. 

Summer  at  Northrepps  —  Anxiety  respecting  Sierra  Leone  —  Mr.  Freeman 
—  Religious  Feelings  —  Marriage  of  his  Son  —  Increasing  Illness  —  His 
Death  and  Interment. 

ALTHOUGH  in  a  languid,  feeble  state  of  health,  he  again  spent  a 
tolerably  cheerful  summer  at  Northrepps.  His  spirits  were  less 
depressed,  which  he  said  was  owing  to  a  greater  assurance  of  being 
a  partaker  of  the  heavenly  inheritance.  "  This  is  granted  me," 
he  said,  "through  the  royal  love  and  mercy  of  my  Lord,  who 
has  died  for  me." 

In  the  fine  summer  mornings  he  would  often  rise  at  four  or 
five  o'clock,  and  go  into  his  dressing-room,  where  his  voice  could 
be  heard  for  an  hour  or  two  at  a  time  in  fervent  prayer.  When 
remonstrated  with  on  the  risk  to  his  health,  he  would  answer, 
"  I  have  not  time  enough  for  prayer.  I  must  have  longer  time 
for  prayer."  "  How  could  I  be  shorter  ?  "  he  replied  on  one 
occasion  ;  "  I  could  not  stop."  One  night,  his  voice  being  heard 
after  he  was  in  bed,  he  was  asked  what  he  was  saying.  "  Pray- 
ing hard,"  was  his  reply ;  adding,  "  I  have  been  praying  vehe- 
mently for  myself,  that  I  may  receive  faith,  that  I  may  receive 
the  grace  of  God  in  my  heart,  that  I  may  have  a  clear  vision  of 
Christ,  that  I  may  perfectly  obey  Him,  that  I  may  have  the 
supporting  arm  of  the  Lord  in  every  trial,  and  be  admitted  finally 
into  His  glorious  kingdom."  After  a  bad  night,  on  his  wife 
expressing  her  sorrow  at  his  lying  so  long  awake,  "  Oh,  do  not  be 
sorry,"  he  replied ;  "  I  have  had  such  heavenly  thoughts." 

In  the  autumn,  although  he  was  still  able  to  take  a  little  air 
and  exercise,  going  out  on  his  pony  with  his  gun,  or  to  visit  liis 
plantations,  his  appearance  indicated  increased  languor  and  op- 
pression ;  and  he  was,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  under  decayed 
spirits."  Though  very  unfit  for  any  mental  labour,  he  was 


1844.]  MR.  FKEEMAN.  493 

stirred  up  to  exertion  by  hearing  that  important  changes 
were  about  to  be  made  by  Government  in  the  arrangements 
for  the  liberated  Africans  at  Sierra  Leone,  by  obliging  them 
to  go  at  once  to  the  West  Indies.  He  greatly  feared  anything 
approaching  to  compulsory  emigration,  and  warmly  objected  to 
the  breaking  up  in  any  degree  of  that  system  of  education  and 
training  at  Sierra  Leone,  which  appeared  to  him,  through  the 
blessing  of  God,  just  beginning  to  produce  results  of  extreme 
importance  to  the  whole  continent  of  Africa. 

He  therefore  wrote  a  long  and  urgent  appeal  to  Lord  Stanley, 
adducing  every  argument  to  persuade  him  to  give  up  the  scheme. 
The  composition  of  this  letter  cost  him  a  grievous  effort.  He 
was  intensely  anxious  to  accomplish  it,  thinking  that  it  might 
have  weight  with  the  Government,  and  induce  them  to  relin- 
quish what  appeared  to  him  so  injurious  a  measure.  He  would 
not  give  it  up,  but  went  on  making  attempt  after  attempt  to 
finish  it ;  often  did  he  begin  to  dictate,  and  then  sink  back  ex- 
hausted in  the  middle  of  a  sentence  ;  then  he  would  rouse  himself 
and  try  again,  till  at  last  it  was  completed.  It  is  too  long  for 
insertion  here ;  but  it  scarcely  displays  any  trace  of  the  ex- 
treme debility  under  which  he  was  labouring.  With  this  act 
closed  his  long  and  arduous  exertions  on  behalf  of  the  Negro 
race. 

The  able  and  successful  African  missionary,  Mr.  Freeman,  who 
had  recently  returned  from  an  adventurous  journey  into  the  king- 
doms of  Dahomey  and  Yariba,  came  to  Northrepps,  at  the  end  of 
October,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Beecham. 

Remembering  with  what  lively  interest  Sir  Fowell  had  re- 
ceived Mr.  Freeman's  journals  of  his  two  previous  visits  to 
Coomassie,  which  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  had  sent  him 
as  soon  as  they  could  get  a  copy  taken,  his  inability  on  this  oc- 
casion to  receive  the  gratification  which  his  friends  had  hoped 
to  afford  him  was  very  painful.  He  was,  in  fact,  quite  unable 
to  enter  into  the  details,  which  heretofore  would  have  given  him 
so  much  pleasure.  All  the  incidents  of  the  journey,  although 
related  by  Mr.  Freeman  in  the  most  animated  manner,  could  not 
rouse  him  to  make  questions  or  remarks.  His  family  could  not 
but  feel  that  evening  that  the  blow  was  struck  ;  and,  indeed,  the 
solemn  gravity  of  his  own  manner  showed  that  he  himself  knew 
it  to  be  so. 


494  EXPRESSIONS  OF  THANKFULNESS.     [CHAP,  xxxiv. 

He  continued  too  feeble  and  too  much  oppressed  to  converse 
much  ;  but  every  now  and  then  the  deep  feelings  of  his  heart 
would  break  forth.  When  saying  grace  before  dinner,  he 
seemed  unable  to  restrain  his  overflowing  love  to  the  Provider  of 
all  mercies. 

Some  of  his  expressions  have  been  preserved,  as  the  follow- 
ing: — 

"  We  thank  thee,  O  Lord,  for  all  thy  supplies  to  us,  and  we  pray 
thee  to  inspire  us  with  deep  gratitude  to  the  Author  of  every  good  gift." 

"  Lord,  make  us  truly  thankful  for  thy  innumerable  mercies  to  ns ; 
and  with  the  blessings  of  the  body  give  us  those  far  greater  blessings  to 
the  soul,  which  are  by  Christ  Jesus." 

"  The  Lord  bless  us  with  a  sense  of  his  mercy,  of  bis  love,  and  his 
indulgent  kindness  to  us,  and  give  us  an  anxious  desire  to  serve  Him, 
and  to  please  Him  for  Christ's  sake." 

"  The  Lord  make  us  very  thankful,  and  recall  to  our  recollection  all 
the  instances  of  His  mercy,  and  fill  us  with  thankfulness." 

One  morning,  the  llth  chapter  of  Matthew  having  been 
read  aloud,  Sir  Fowell,  who,  in  his  easy  chair  by  the  fireside, 
had  been  an  attentive  listener,  said,  "  There  is  one  passage 
which  you  have  not  touched  upon,  but  which  I  never  can  read 
without  the  most  anxious  inquiry  into  the  state  of  my  own  soul/ 
He  then  read  the  verses  beginning,  "  "Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin," 
&c.,  and  dwelt  on  his  many  and  great  privileges,  concluding  by 
solemnly  observing,  "  How  great  will  be  our  condemnation,  if 
these  be  not  improved  !" 

On  Sunday  the  1 7th  of  November  he  went  to  church  ;  and, 
according  to  his  custom,  gave  out  the  hymns  to  be  sung  during 
the  service.  One  of  them  was  that  beautiful  hymn,  beginning, 
"  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesu's  name.*'  In  reading  the  last 
verse,  which  runs  thus — 

"  Oh !  that  with  yonder  sacred  throng 

We  at  his  feet  may  fall ; 
There  join  the  everlasting  song, 
And  crown  him  Lord  of  all ;" — • 

so  fervent  was  his  emphasis,  and  so  marked  the  expression  of  his 
uplifted  countenance,  that,  on  returning  home,  the  Rev.  P.  C. 
Law  noticed  it  to  his  family,  and  said  he  felt  a  strong  conviction 


1344.]  ALARMING  ILLNESS.  495 

that  he  should  never  again  hear  Sir  Powell's  voice  in  that 
church.  The  presentiment  was  verified. 

Early  in  December  his  second  son  was  engaged  to  be  married 
to  the  fifth  daughter  of  Mr.  Samuel  Gurney.  On  this  occasion 
he  wrote  with  great  effort  the  following  note,  the  last  ever  written 
by  his  own  hand. 

TO  MRS.  S.  GURNEY. 

"  Northrepps,  Dec.  3,  1844. 

"  My  dear  Elizabeth, — I  lose  no  time  in  answering  the  letter  just 
received  from  my  son  Fowell.  In  that  letter  there  is  a  question  from 
you ;  viz.  '  Do  I  heartily  like  and  approve  his  marriage  with  your 

daughter  R ?'     My  answer  is  clear  and  firm.     I  do  from  my  heart 

approve,  like,  and  rejoice  in  the  connexion,  and  from  my  heart  return 
thanks  to  that  great  and  indulgent  Being  who  has  prompted  so  admirable 
a  selection.  May  they  live  long  and  happily  together.  May  great 
peace  and  prosperity  attend  them,  and  may  they  be  '  the  beloved  of 
their  good  and  gracious  Master.' 

"  With  the  most  sincere  love  and  affection  for  your  husband  and  all 
the  branches  from  that  old  stem, 

"  Believe  me,  my  very  dear  sister,  yours  most  lovingly, 

"  T.  FOWELL  BUXTON." 

On  the  5th  of  December,  while  sitting  in  his  chair  in  his 
dressing-room,  he  poured  out  his  heart  in  prayer,  that  he,  un- 
worthy as  he  was,  might,  without  a  single  doubt,  know  the 
blessed  Lord  to  be  the  Saviour ;  that  he  might  dwell  in  Christ, 
and  Christ,  through  infinite  mercy,  in  him,  filling  his  heart  with 
charity,  love,  meekness,  and  every  grace  ;  that  his  numerous 
transgressions  might  be  pardoned  ;  and  that,  finally,  he  might  be 
gathered  into  the  land  of  everlasting  life. 

Soon  afterwards  he  said,  "  I  feel  my  faculties  and  powers 
obscured  ;"  but  added,  "  my  faith  is  strong."  On  the  15th  of 
December  he  was  seized  with  a  severe  spasm  on  the  chest,  the 
effects  of  which,  in  the  course  of  a  week  or  two,  became 
extremely  alarming  to  his  family,  and  they  all  collected  around 
him. 

While  reduced  to  the  lowest  state  of  weakness  he  was  full  of 
the  spirit  of  gratitude,  and  continually  poured  forth  fervent 
thanksgiving  "  for  pardon  given  and  redeeming  love."  His 


496  SYMPATHY  WITH  SUFFERING.        [CHAP,  xxxiv. 

prayers  were  earnest  for  "  the  gift  of  the  most  Holy  Spirit  and 
the  removal  of  all  clouds,  that  he  might  come  to  Christ,  under 
humiliation,  suffering,  and  infirmity ;  and  find  strength  and  con- 
solation in  Him." 

On  Sunday,  January  21,  he  broke  forth  with  much  energy  of 
voice  and  manner  in  these  words:  "  O  God,  O  God,  can  it  be 
that  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  such  an  one  as  I  shall 
be  numbered  among  the  just  ?  Is  thy  mercy  able  to  contain 
even  me  ?  From  my  very  heart  I  give  thee  most  earnest  thanks- 
givings for  this  and  for  all  thy  mercies." 

Towards  the  end  of  January,  on  experiencing  some  return  of 
strength,  he  remarked,  "  How  pleasant  is  the  feeling  of  rest  on 
recovery  from  illness,  while  all  our  worldly  occupations  are  laid 
aside !"  and  when  some  one  observed  to  him  that  it  seemed  like 
a  foretaste  of  the  heavenly  rest  prepared  for  the  children  of  God, 
he  immediately  broke  forth  into  prayer  for  each  member  of  his 
family,  that  they  might  be  partakers  of  that  blessed  rest,  through 
Christ  our  Lord.  The  varied  expressions  of  tenderness  for  those 
most  dear  to  him,  which  were  blended  with  these  prayers,  were 
singularly  impressive.  He  continued  to  take  a  lively  interest  in 
everything  connected  with  his  poorer  neighbours ;  indeed  his 
own  needs  seemed  to  open  his  heart  more  than  ever  to  the  wants 
of  others  ;  so  that  it  was  necessary  to  avoid  mentioning  cases  of 
sorrow  or  suffering,  from  the  pain  it  occasioned  him.  He  was 
most  anxious  that  the  villagers  should  be  supplied  with  soup 
and  other  comforts  ;  and  never  did  his  countenance  brighten  up 
with  more  satisfaction  than  when  he  caught  a  view,  from  his  bed, 
of  the  train  of  women  and  children  walking  home  over  the 
grass,  with  their  steaming  cans  and  pitchers. 

The  most  cordial  welcome  was  ready  for  every  one  who  visited 
him ;  and  his  expressions  of  love  continually  turned  into  earnest 
prayer  for  them  and  for  all  his  friends,  that  they  might  be  given 
to  the  Lord  for  life  and  for  ever ! 

Owing  probably  to  physical  weakness,  his  mind  was  occasion- 
ally beset  with  doubts :  but  these  painful  feelings  were  but  of 
brief  duration,  and  were  always  succeeded  by  his  accustomed 
firm  and  serene  belief;  his  mind  frequently  dwelling  on  the 
infinite  mercy  and  love  of  God,  and  he  would  exclaim,  "  Now- 
all  clouds  are  removed.  What  an  inexpressible  favour  !" 


1845.]  LAST  DAYS.  497 

On  the  6th  of  February  he  had  a  painful  return  of  oppression 
on  his  breath  ;  but  he  bore  it  with  entire  patience  and  submission. 

He  was  much  pleased  by  the  following  note  from  Mrs.  Fry, 
who  was  herself  extremely  ill. 

"  I  must  try  to  express  a  little  of  the  love  and  sympathy  I  feel  with 
and  for  thee.  *  *  *  How  much  we  have  been  one  in  heart,  and 
how  much  one  in  our  objects  !  Although  our  callings  may  have  been 
various,  and  thine  more  extensive  than  mine,  we  have  partaken  of  the 
sweet  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  Lord.  May  we,  whilst  here,  whether 
called  to  do  or  to  suffer,  be  each  other's  joy  in  the  Lord !  and  when  the 
end  comes,  through  a  Saviour's  love  and  merits,  may  we  behold  our 
King  in  his  beauty,  and  rejoice  in  His  presence  for  ever  I 

"  My  love  to  you  and  your  children  and  children's  children  is  great 
and  earnest ;  my  desire  and  prayer  is,  that  grace,  mercy,  and  peace 
may  rest  upon  you  in  time  and  to  all  eternity !" 

At  Sir  Fowell's  request  Mr.  Law  came  after  service  on  the 
9th  of  February,  and  administered  the  Sacrament  to  him  and  to 
all  the  party  around  his  bed.  At  night  he  began  talking,  appa- 
rently in  his  sleep,  of  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  and  of 
longing  to  be  at  work  for  them,  saying,  "  I  am  ready  to  under- 
take all  the  working  part."  After  a  time  of  great  exhaustion 
he  said,  "  Christ  is  most  merciful — most  merciful  to  me.  I  do 
put  my  trust  in  Him." 

Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney,  who  visited  him  about  a  week  before  his 
death,  thus  describes  his  state : — 

u  It  was  almost,  if  not  entirely,  a  painless  illness.  Nothing  could  be 
more  quiet  and  comfortable  than  the  sick  room,  with  an  easy  access  to 
all  who  were  nearly  connected  with  him :  no  fear  of  disturbing  him, 
who  was  sure  to  be  either  asleep,  or,  if  awake,  in  an  unruffled,  cheerful, 
happy  state  of  mind,  giving  us,  from  time  to  time,  characteristic  tokens 
of  himself,  with  his  well-known  arch  manner,  and  with  undeviating 
kindness  and  good  temper  to  all  around  him,  and  no  fretfulness  or 
irritation.  Never  was  a  Christian  believer  more  evidently  rooted  and 
grounded  in  his  Saviour — never  was  the  Christian's  hope  more  evidently 
an  anchor  to  the  soul,  sure  and  steadfast. 

"  On  my  remarking  to  him  that  I  perceived  he  had  a  firm  hold  on 
Christ,  he  replied,  in  a  clear  emphatic  manner,  '  Yes,  indeed,  I  have,— 
unto  eternal  life.'1  After  a  long-continued  state  of  torpor,  he  revived 
surprisingly.  Just  before  we  left  him,  on  the  14th  of  Februarv,  his 

2* 


498  HIS  DEATH  [CHAP,  xxxiv. 

mind  was  lively  and  bright,  as  '  a  morning  without  clouds.'*  While 
memory  lasts,  I  can  never  forget  his  eager  look  of  tenderness  and 
affection,  of  love,  joy,  and  peace,  all  combined,  as  he  grasped  my  hand 
and  kept  firm  hold  of  it  for  a  long  time,  on  my  bidding  him  farewell, 
and  saying  to  him,  '  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for 
thee ;  yes,  for  thee,  my  dearest  brother.'  The  five  days  which  inter- 
vened between  our  leaving  him  and  his  death  appear  to  have  been 
tranquil  ones ;  with  the  same  alternations  between  sleep  long  continued 
And  tending  to  torpor,  and  waking  times,  brief  indeed,  but  marked  by 

an  uncommon  degree  of  ease  and  cheerfulness.     F and  his  bride 

arrived  in  the  course  of  them,  and  met  a  joyful  and  easy  reception  from 

their  honoured  father.     C also  returned  from  college,   and  was 

greeted  with  the  warmest  parental  welcome." 

On  the  19th  of  February  he  was  very  much  exhausted,  but 
tranquil  in  body  and  mind.  Towards  the  afternoon  symptoms 
of  increasing  oppression  returned  ;  and  as  the  evening  advanced, 
it  was  evident  that  he  was  entering  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death.  He  sank  into  quiet  sleep,  his  family  collected  round  his 
bed,  but  no  longer  to  be  recognised  by  their  honoured  head ;  it 
was  only  to  watch  the  peaceful  departure  of  the  spirit.  He  lay 
perfectly  still ;  and,  about  a  quarter  before  ten  o'clock,  fell 
asleep  in  his  Lord. 

"  Never  was  death,"  says  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney,  "  more  still,  and 
solemn,  and  gentle,  than  on  this  occasion.  *  *  *  The  chamber 
where  lay  the  remains  of  our  departed  brother,  destined  so  soon 
to  moulder,  presented  one  of  the  fairest  pictures  that  ever  met 
my  eye.  Such  an  expression  of  intellectual  power  and  refine- 
ment, of  love  to  God  and  man,  I  think  I  have  never  seen  before 
in  any  human  countenance. 

"  He  was  buried  in  the  ruined  chancel  of  the  little  church  at 
Overstrand.  The  old  walls  overrun  with  ivy,  the  building  itself 
with  the  sea  in  full  view,  and  the  whole  surrounding  scenery, 
are  highly  picturesque. 

"  The  funeral,  which  was  conducted  with  great  simplicity, 
took  place  on  a  mild  sunny  winter's  morning,  and  was  attended 
by  a  large  train  of  relatives,  friends,  and  neighbours.  Long 
before  the  appointed  hour,  crowds  of  villagers  were  seen  ap- 

*  2  Samuel,  chap,  xxiii.  4. 


1845.]  AND  INTERMENT.  499 

preaching  the  spot,  through  the  lanes  arid  fields,  in  every  direc- 
tion. All  seemed  deeply  moved.  They  had  lost  their  patron 
and  friend,  and  were  come  to  pay  him  the  last  tribute  of  respect 
and  affection.  The  assembly  was  far  too  large  to  find  room  in 
the  church,  but  great  was  the  solemnity  which  prevailed  in  the 
churchyard  while  the  interment  took  place.  The  whole  scene 
was  at  once  affecting  and  significant ;  it  seemed  to  speak  in  the 
language  of  David,  '  Know  ye  not  that  there  is  a  prince  and  a 
great  man  fallen  this  day  in  Israel?' — fallen,  indeed,  but  only  to 
rise  again,  and  to  afford  one  more  consoling  evidence  that,  for 
the  humble  believer  in  Jesus,  death  has  lost  its  sting  and  the 
grave  its  victory."* 

*  Brief  Memoir,  by  Mr.  J.  J.  Gurney. 


2K.2 


500  TESTIMONIAL  TO  HIS  MEMORY. 


A  few  weeks  after  the  death  of  Sir  Fowell  Buxton  some, 
individuals  who  had  admired  his  conduct  and  character  formed 
themselves  into  a  committee  for  erecting  a  testimonial  to  his 
memory. 

The  project  was  warmly  approved.  H.  R.  H.  Prince  Albert 
at  once  gave  50?.  The  other  subscriptions  were  limited  to  21.  2s., 
and  in  a  short  time  a  large  list  was  formed,  containing  among 
others  the  names  of  many  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the 
day,  of  both  sides  in  politics,  and  of  various  denominations  in 
religion.  Even  more  gratifying  than  all  this  was  the  zeal  with 
which  the  plan  was  taken  up  by  the  negroes  in  the  West  Indies, 
Sierra  Leone,  and  Cape  Coast,  and  by  the  natives  in  Kaffraria. 
Such  was  the  multitude  of  these  grateful  subscribers  that  450/. 
was  quickly  raised,  chiefly  in  pence  and  halfpence.  Altogether 
the  number  of  contributors  in  the  West  Indies  and  Africa 
amounted  to  upwards  of  50,000  persons.  "  The  proposal," 
writes  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Price  from  Tobago,  "  was  received  with 
lively  interest."  "  The  whole  island  has  come  forward,"  says 
Dr.  Reddie,  in  a  letter  from  St.  Lucia.  From  Nevis  the  Rev. 
H.  Chesborough  writes,  "  Our  negro  people  willingly  came  for- 
ward to  testify  their  respect  for  the  memory  of  Sir  Fowell 
Buxton."  The  other  letters  are  in  the  same  strain.  Nor  was 
this  all : — the  liberated  Africans  and  others  in  Sierra  Leone  had 
sent  100/.  towards  the  monument  in  Westminster  Abbey  ;  but 
they  wished,  in  addition  to  that,  to  have  a  monument  among 
themselves  ;  they  therefore  subscribed  a  further  sum  of  80/., 
with  which  they  have  procured  a  bust,  beautifully  executed  by 
Mr.  John  Bell,  which  is  shortly  to  be  placed  in  St.  George's 
Church,  at  Sierra  Leone. 

The  testimonial,  for  which  1500/.  has  been  subscribed,  is  a 
full  length  statue,  executed  by  Mr.  F.  Thrupp,  which  is  placed 
near  the  monument  of  William  Wilberforce,  in  the  north  tran- 
sept of  Westminster  Abbey. 


LETTER  FROM  THE  REV.  J.  W.  CUNNINGHAM.         501 

This  volume  may  be  concluded  with  the  following  reminis- 
cences of  Sir  Fowell  Buxton,  from  the  pen  of  his  much  valued 
friend,  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Cunningham  of  Harrow. 

"Harrow,  Dec.  1847. 

"  My  dear  Charles, — I  am  delighted  to  hear  that  you  are  preparing 
a  memoir  of  your  dear  and  honoured  father.  Such  a  memoir  appears  to 
me  to  be  indispensable.  His  numerous  friends  could  not  but  long  for 
details  of  a  life  of  so  much  interest  to  themselves,  and  the  public  had  a 
right  to  ask  for  all  the  private  intelligence  which  could  be  collected  as 
to  the  history  of  the  extinction  of  slavery,  and  other  holy  and  benevolent 
movements  in  which  he  acted  so  conspicuous  a  part. 

"  Having  heard  of  your  intention,  I  thought  that  you  would  forgive 
me,  as  one  of  his  oldest  and  not  least  attached  friends,  if  I  ventured  to 
give  you  my  unbiassed  impression  of  him.  I  should  not,  however,  have 
thus  presumed  if  I  had  not  heard  that  you  would  be  glad  of  any  remarks 
founded  on  the  observation  of  his  character  at  an  earlier  period  than  that 
in  which  you  had  the  privilege  of  ministering  to  his  happiness. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  say  a  few  words  as  to  his  intellectual,  religious, 
moral,  and  social  qualities. 

"  As  to  the  first,  then,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  I  always 
regarded  him  as  a  person  of  the  very  clearest  understanding  and  strongest 
common  sense  that  I  have  ever  known — of  what  we  might,  perhaps, 
call  with  justice,  a  truly  fine  specimen  of  the  English  mind.  He  had, 
amongst  other  evidences  of  this  quality  of  understanding,  an  unusual 
power  of  casting  off  all  the  superfluities  of  a  question,  and  seizing  upon 
its  great  cardinal  points — of  shutting  out  the  side  lights,  and  so  of 
throwing  a  sort  of  direct  and  intense  ray  on  the  objects  presented  to 
him.  One  result  of  this  was,  that  few  men  made  such  short  speeches 
upon  great  subjects.  For  one  fact  or  reason  which  he  adduced,  he 
rejected  a  hundred,  as  what  he  felt,  and  felt  justly,  to  be  mere  encum- 
brances to  his  argument.  No  one  better  understood  the  maxim,  '  Ne 
quid  nimis  ;'  and  here,  I  conceive,  was  one  of  the  main  causes  of  his 
success  with  the  audience  to  which  he  was  chiefly  accustomed  :  an 
audience,  I  believe,  beyond  all  others  intolerant  of  superfluities  of  any 
kind.  They  did  full  honour  to  the  orator,  who  had  the  singularity  of 
sitting  down  before  they  expected  him  to  do  so. 

"  I  may  next  say,  that  I  have  seldom  known  a  mind  of  such  deter- 
mined industry,  patience,  and  undaunted  resolution  in  the  pursuit  of  any 
object  which  it  might  present  to  itself.  I  never  went  into  his  study 
without  stand  ing  rebuked  before  the  mountain  of  testimonies;  authorities, 
and  documents  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  from  all  points  of  the  compass,  which 
he  had  accumulated  on  the  questions  to  which  his  mind  was  especially 


502  LETTER  FROM 


directed.  Others  are  apt  now  and  then,  in  a  favourable  season,  to  lie  on 
their  oars  and  let  the  vessel  drive ;  but  the  favouring  wind  only  made 
him  row  the  harder.  I  remember  to  have  heard  him  expatiating  to  a 
Cabinet  Minister  on  the  many  advantages  of  the  '  Emancipation'  bill. 
1  Yes,'  it  was  replied,  '  and,  among  others,  the  getting  rid  of  your 
troublesome  motions  every  three  months.' 

"  In  the  next  place,  I  consider  him  to  have  been  a  person  of  great 
natural  eloquence.  I  do  not  mean  that  he  ever  reached  the  heights 
of  some  of  the  first  '  worthies '  of  his  day.  He  had  not  the  wit  and 
occasional  majesty  of  Canning,  or  the  exquisite  grace  and  imagination 
of  Wilberforce,  or  the  adroitness  and  resistless  vocabulary  of  Lord 
Brougham  :  but  he  had  a  touch  of  all  these  ;  and  he  had,  to  as  great  an 
extent  as  any  one  of  his  contemporaries,  the  faculty  of  clothing  plain 
truths  in  strong  language  ;  of  leaving  no  man  for  a  moment  in  doubt  of 
his  meaning,  and  of  driving  home  that  meaning  with  power  to  the  con- 
science and  heart.  I  recollect  a  rhetorical  lecturer  at  Oxford  proposing 
his  style  in  his  work  on  Prison  Discipline  as  a  model  of  pure  English 
composition.  And  he  spoke  as  he  wrote,  with  almost  unimpeachable  cor- 
rectness. The  force  of  his  language  was  not  a  little  strengthened  by 
occasional  gaiety  ;  and  still  oftener  by  a  tone  of  manly  indignation, 
which  left  the  clearest  conviction  that  he  was  thoroughly  honest,  in- 
tensely in  earnest,  and  resolved  that  no  one  of  his  hearers  should  here- 
after plead  his  ignorance  of  the  subject  as  an  apology  for  a  bad  vote 
upon  it. 

"I  must  now  turn  to  the  far  more  important  subject  of  his  religious 
character.  And  here,  I  may  first  confidently  say,  that  it  would  be  most 
difficult  to  find  any  man  with  what  I  may  call  a  more  entire  and  profound 
reverence  for  the  Word  of  God.  That  book  was  the  leading  star  of  his 
whole  life.  Some  of  his  clerical  friends,  indeed,  may  have  been  tempted 
to  think  him  a  little  too  exclusive  in  this  reverence  when  he  ventured, 
as  he  sometimes  did  playfully,  to  characterise  their  long  expositions  of 
Scripture  as  '  Bible  and  water,'  and  earnestly  pleaded,  in  the  language 
of  Bishop  Sherlock,  for  '  long  texts  and  short  sermons.'  But  he  so  cor- 
dially loved  the  Bible  himself,  as  to  be  intensely  jealous  of  everything 
that  was  interposed  between  a  dying  soul  and  that  which  he  deemed  its 
life's  blood.  These  days  have  more  and  more  proved  to  us  that  even  a 
scrupulous  jealousy  upon  this  point  is  riot  altogether  superfluous. 

"  In  the  next  place,  your  dear  father  felt,  to  as  high  a  degree  as  any 
man  I  ever  knew,  the  power  and  value  of  prayer.  Let  me  venture  to 
hope  that  you  will  not,  from  what  I  should  be  disposed  to  regard  as 
false  delicacy,  exclude  from  the  memoir  any  of  the  proofs  of  this  devout 
frame  of  mind,  which  you  may  find  among  his  papers.  This  was,  I 
conceive,  the  true  '  rock  of  his  strength'  in  public  and  private  life.  I 


THE  REV.  J.  W.  CUNNINGHAM.  503 

can  remember  his  expressing  much  indignation  at  the  sort  of  dilution  of 
the  divine  promises,  as  to  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  which  is  to  be  found  in 
some  theological  works.  His  testimony  upon  the  subject  of  prayer 
ap]>cars  to  me  to  be  of  the  highest  value,  and  especially  to  public  men, 
who  may  learn  from  it  that  one  of  the  most  diligent  and  successful  of 
their  own  fellow-labourers  was  a  man  of  prayer ;  a  man  who  did  nothing 
and  spoke  nothing  without  casting  himself  on  a  higher  strength  than  his 
own. 

"  The  only  other  feature  of  his  religious  character  that  I  shall  venture 
to  notice  is  the  childlike  simplicity  of  his  faith.  No  man  was  more  able 
to  have  suggested  doubts  upon  the  authority  or  meaning  of  a  troublesome 
passage  of  Scripture  ;  but  no  man  was  less  disposed  to  do  so.  He  had 
gone  through,  I  believe,  at  an  early  period  of  his  life,  deep  trials  upon 
some  points  of  the  Christian  system.  But  he  had  come  out  of  the  fur- 
nace without  even  the  '  smell  of  burning.'  From  the  first  moment  that 
I  knew  him  he  was,  to  the  best  of  my  belief,  a  sound  and  orthodox 
Christian.  He  worshipped  the  Trinity  in  Unity.  He  rested  every 
hope  on  Christ  as  a  Divine  Redeemer,  and  on  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the 
teacher,  comforter,  and  sanctifier  of  the  soul.  And  on  this  strong  foun- 
dation he  built  for  eternity.  And  I  believe  that  he  will  realise,  through 
countless  ages,  the  immeasurable  benefit  of  such  a  faith,  testified,  as  it 
was  in  his  case,  by  a  corresponding  temper  and  practice. 

"  Before  I  quit  the  subject  of  religion,  I  must  refer  to  the  charge 
often  brought  against  him  of  not  being  a  sound  Churchman.  And  this 
at  least  must  be  admitted,  that  he  rendered  a  less  exclusive  homage  to 
the  Church  of  England  than  some  of  its  most  ardent  friends  would 
desire.  At  the  same  time  he  felt  the  highest  admiration  of  its  ser- 
vices, which  he  used  much  both  in  his  family  and  in  private,  and  re- 
garded it  as  an  instrument  of  the  very  highest  value  in  the  resistance  of 
error  and  support  of  truth.  But  it  is  impossible  to  deny  that  he 
attached  less  importance  to  the  forms  and  ceremonial  of  religion  than, 
as  I  think,  either  a  just  appreciation  of  the  weakness  of  human  nature, 
or  the  whole  analogy  of  Scripture,  would  justify  and  demand.  Perhaps 
his  early  history  in-some  degree  explains  this  defect,  if  I  may  so  call  it, 
in  the  philosophy  of  his  religion.  Though  he  received  baptism  as  an 
infant  in  the  Church  of  England,  his  early  education  was  mainly  con- 
ducted by  one  who  did  not  belong  to  that  communion.  When,  through 
his  marriage,  and  under  a  still  loftier  and  holier  influence,  he  came  to 
feel  something  of  the  real  value  and  power  of  religion,  he  was  thrown, 
not  only  among  Churchmen,  but  among  '  Friends  '  of  the  very  highest 
spiritual  attainments.  Was  it  to  be  wondered  at,  that,  without  any 
great  stock  of  ecclesiastical  knowledge,  he  should  be  led  to  sink  the 


504  LETTER  FROM 


exterior  of  religion  a  little  below  its  just  level,  and  to  forget  the  casket, 
in  the  strength  of  his  interest  for  the  jewel  contained  in  it  ? 

"  As  far  as  the  imputation  of  bad  Churchmanship  is  founded  on 
those  speeches  in  Parliament  in  which  he  advocates  the  appropriation 
of  a  part  of  the  income  of  the  Irish  Bishops  to  the  purposes  of  edu- 
cation, or  expresses  his  preference  for  a  poor  over  a  rich  clergy,  I 
cannot  admit  its  justice.  I  do  not  indeed  think  with  him,  that  such 
was  the  state  of  religion  in  Ireland  as  to  admit  the  appropriation  of  a 
single  shilling  of  its  church  income  to  other  purposes.  The  business  of 
the  legislature  was,  I  conceive,  not  to  alienate  the  income  of  the  Church, 
but  to  compel  the  holders  of  it  to  a  just  application  of  it,  or,  in  other 
words,  to  a  zealous  discharge  of  their  high  and  solemn  duties.  Neither 
can  I  think,  with  your  honoured  father,  that  anything  would  be  gained 
to  religion,  especially  in  a  highly  refined  and  civilised  state  of  society, 
by  so  lowering  the  income  of  the  higher  orders  of  the  clergy  as  to  limit 
their  intercourse,  upon  equal  terms,  with  the  higher  orders  of  society  in 
other  classes.  But  I  must  do  him  the  justice  to  say,  that  his  object  was 
not  to  impoverish  any  class  of  ministers  of  religion,  and  what  he  took 
from  the  rich  he  was  most  anxious  to  give  to  the  poor  among  the  clergy. 
This  may  have  been  an  error ;  but  it  was  an  error  thoroughly  com- 
patible with  the  strictest  loyalty  to  the  Church. 

"  I  must,  however,  make  haste  to  touch  upon  a  few  of  what  I  may 
call  the  leading  characteristics  of  his  moral  qualities. 

"  In  the  first  place,  then,  if  ever  I  knew  an  honest  man,  it  was  your 
father.  He  always  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  very  soul  of  integrity 
and  honour.  To  this  feature  in  his  character  I  believe  that  every  man 
acquainted  with  him,  in  public  or  in  private  life,  would  be  ready  to  set 
his  seal. 

"  In  the  next  place  he  was  a  man  of  indomitable  courage.  If,  like 
the  Chevalier  Bayard,  he  was  '  sans  reproche,'  he  was  also  '  sans  peur.' 
His  grappling  with  a  mad  dog  rather  than  suffer  him  to  rush  into  the 
crowded  streets,  was  a  just  type  of  his  Parliamentary  life.  There 
were  occasions  when  nothing  but  the  stoutest  heart  could  have  encoun- 
tered the  hostility  to  which  he  was  exposed.  It  was  then  that  he  often 
reminded  me  of  that  glowing  passage — 

'  Come  one,  come  all — this  rock  shall  fly 
From  its  firm  base  as  soon  as  I.' 

"  I  should  not  do  him  justice  in  thus  speaking  of  his  courage  if  I 
neglected  to  mention  that  combined  with  this  there  was  a  spirit  of  the 
very  deepest  tenderness.  The  union  of  these  two  qualities  in  any  very 
high  degree  appears  to  me  extremely  rare.  It  seems  to  solve  the  riddle 


THE  REV.  J.  W.  CUNNINGHAM.  ft05 

of  Samson,  '  Out  of  the  strong  came  forth  sweetness.'  The  hurry  of  life 
and  press  of  business  often  appear  not  to  leave  time  for  sympathy  ;  but 
I  never  found  him  too  busy  to  be  kind ;  and  there  arc  many  who  have 
lasting:  reasons  to  acknowledge  the  largeness  of  his  heart  and  the  libe- 
rality of  his  hand. 

"  In  speaking  of  his  tenderness  and  sympathy  I  have  glanced  at 
what  I  may  perhaps  call  a  ruling  principle  and  passion  of  his  mind — I 
mean  a  spirit  of  intense  benevolence.  He  walked  through  the  world 
like  a  man  passing  through  the  wards  of  an  hospital,  and  stooping  down 
on  all  sides  to  administer  help  where  it  was  needed.  But  not  only  this  : 
he  had,  as  I  have  heard  a  dear  friend  of  his  and  mine  express  it,  '  a 
singular  power  of  realising  to  his  own  mind  distant  and  unseen  suffering  ; 
of  making  it  his  own  ;  and,  upon  the  deep  compassion  which  it  inspired, 
of  founding  a  course  of  deliberate  and  sustained  action.'  Common  sym- 
pathy is  awakened  by  visible  and  tangible  sorrow,  and  then  perhaps 
'  melts  into  the  air.'  His  sympathy  was  awakened  by  men  he  had  never 
seen,  and  he  gave  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  their  welfare. 

"  But  I  must  now  pass  from  this  higher  ground,  to  say  a  word  on  the 
subject  of  what  may  be  termed  his  social  qualities. 

"  At  the  period  of  his  life  when  you  began  to  be  able  to  appreciate 
his  character,  his  bodily  and  mental  powers  had  both  sustained  con- 
siderable injury.  Especially  after  the  failure  of  the  African  Expe- 
dition, he  was,  if  I  may  so  speak,  but  the  ghost  of  himself.  I  do  not 
say,  as  was  recorded  of  a  distinguished  person  after  a  great  calamity, 
that  '  he  never  smiled  again.'  Domestic  happiness,  an  approving  con- 
science, a  present  God  and  Saviour,  and  the  bright  hopes  of  eternity, 
made  such  a  state  of  gloom  impossible  to  him.  And  occasionally  the 
original  man  broke  out  from  behind  the  cloud.  But  still  it  was  evident 
to  all,  and,  I  think,  at  all  times,  that  a  great  storm  had  broken  over  him. 
That  gaiety,  which  was  natural,  and  which  had  lent  so  much  charm  to 
an  earlier  period  of  his  life,  now  recurred  but  rarely.  I  can  remember 
him,  year  after  year,  when  his  conversation  was  as  bright,  racy,  and 
amusing  as  that  of  most  men  that  I  have  ever  known.  I  believe  that 
those  who  were  present  at  a  dinner  given  by  him  to  Lord  Stanley  and 
the  other  members  of  the  cabinet,  alter  the  abolition  of  slavery,  will 
not  easily  forget  the  chastened  gaiety,  the  occasional  touches  of  harmless 
sarcasm,  the  sparklings  of  quiet  easy  wit,  the  glowing  thanks  to  the 
friends  of  emancipation,  the  generous  feeling  towards  its  enemies,  and 
the  heartfelt  gratitude  to  God,  which  breathed  in  his  several  short 
addresses  to  his  company.  No  one,  I  think,  could  look  at  him  or  listen 
to  him  without  feeling  that  it  was  '  a  good  thing,'  even  as  far  as  this 
world  is  concerned,  to  be  bold  and  constant  in  a  righteous  cause,  and  to 
live,  not  for  ourselves,  but  for  God  and  for  mankind. 


506      LETTER  FROM  THE  REV.  j.  w.  CUNNINGHAM. 

"  But  I  must  here  come  to  an  end.  I  have  lost  a  delightful  friend, 
and  you  an  invaluable  father.  God  grant  that  his  image  may  be  con- 
stantly before  us,  to  quicken  our  sluggish  souls  in  the  pursuit  of  those 
high,  manly,  and  Christian  qualities,  of  which  he  was  so  eminent  an 
example ! 

"  I  am  yours  affectionately, 

"  J.  W.  CUNNINGHAM." 


APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  XVII. 


APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  XVII. 


Table  of  Slave  Population  in  Eleven  West  India  Islands. — {Part. 

Papers.) 


Number  of  Slaves 
Registered. 

Number  of  Slaves 
.  Registered. 

Decrease. 

Name  of  Colony. 

In  the 
Year. 

In  the 

Year. 

In 
Years. 

Total. 

By  Manu- 
missions. 

Demerara  and 

Essequibo 

1817 

77,163 

1832 

65,517 

15 

11,646 

nil. 

Jamaica 

1817 

346,150 

1832 

302,666 

15 

43,484 

4,691 

Montserrat 

1817 

6,610 

1827 

6,262 

10 

348 

116 

Nevis   .     . 

1817 

9,602 

1831 

9,142 

14 

460 

207 

St.  Kitt's    . 

1817 

20,168 

1831 

19,085 

14 

1,083 

968 

St.  Lucia   . 

1816 

16,285 

1831 

13,348 

15 

2,937 

889 

St.  Vincent 

1817 

25,218 

1831 

22,997 

14 

2,221 

475 

Tobago      . 

1819 

15,470 

1832 

12,091 

13 

3,379 

192 

Trinidad    . 

1816 

25,544 

1828 

23,776 

12 

1.768 

1,712 

Bahamas    • 

1822 

10,808 

1828 

9,268 

6 

1,540 

202 

Bermudas  . 

1820 

5,176 

1830 

4,371 

10 

805 

nil. 

- 

Average 

Total      . 

558,194 

488,523 

12 

69,671 

9,452 

Years. 

Decrease,  exclusive  of  manumissions,  of  the  slave  population  of  eleven 
(out  of  the  twenty-one)  islands,  in  twelve  years 
=  69,671 

9,452  =  60,219. 

Again:  in  1845,  tables  were  published  showing  the  changes  of  popu- 
lation between  1832  (two  years  before  slavery  was  abolished)  and  1844 
(ten  years  after  its  abolition),  in  ten  of  the  West  India  Islands;  but  we 
have  no  separate  account  of  the  number  imported. 


508 


APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  XVII. 


Tables  of  Population  in  Ten  West  India  Islands. — (Parl.  Papers.) 


Name  of  Colony. 

1832. 

184J. 

Increase. 

35,412 
19,255 
27,768 
96,685 
108,150 
17,042 
27,122 
40,250 
18,508 
3,794 

36,178 
22,469 
28,923 
98,133 
122,198 
21,001 
27,248 
59,815 
25,292 
10,000 

766 
3,214 
1,155 
1,448 
14,048 
3,959 
126 
19,565 
6,784 
6,206 

Total  in  ten  Colonies     .      . 

393,986 

451,257 

57,271 

The  increase,  then,  in  these  ten  colonies  has  averaged  nearly  5000  a 
year  since  emancipation. 

In  four  colonies  the  population  has  decreased, — 


Name  of  Island. 

Census  in 
1832. 

Census  in 

1844. 

Decrease. 

7,406 
11,882 
23,697 
13,571 

7,365 
9,571 
23,177 
13,208 

41 
2,271 
520 
363 

Total     .... 

56,516 

53,321 

3,195 

The  total  increase,  therefore,  in  the  fourteen  islands  in  which  alone 
.we   have  any  means  of  ascertaining  the  changes  of  population,  has 
amounted  to  54,076  souls. 


THE      EXD. 


London  :  Printed  by  WILLIAM  Ci.owcg  and  Sons,  Stamford  Street. 


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